Recovery
by TVDiariesObsessed
Summary: Post season 2: Klaus has taken Stefan, senior year is starting, and everyone is trying to recover from the end of junior year. Their group is facing a powerful being. They don't know who he is. They don't know where he came from. They do know that he wants Elena. But they are left fighting for their lives. Not all will make it. Not all will live. They have declared war.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note- So it's been a while since I've actually written a story, so I can't promise it'll be pretty. But please, stick with me on this story. It takes place right after season 2. Stefan is with Klaus, Damon and Elena kissed, and now it's summertime leading into senior year. Please review and tell me what you think. BTW, this is a Damon and Elena story.**

* * *

"Drink?" Damon asked Alaric, walking up to him with a small sway in his hips. He really enjoyed the beach parties that accompanied the warm sun, long heat wave, and dripping girl teenagers bulging out of their swim suits. This just happened to be the summer that Damon really got to enjoy it because of one Gilbert girl.

Alaric happily took the full bottle, knowing that it was Damon's favorite alcoholic beverage and that it would slide down his throat easily. Damon cocked an eye brow at one of his only friends. "It's killing you, standing here with all these teenagers," Damon motioned with wide, open arms to the crowd in front of him, dancing along on the beach to the beat of the music.

There was only one week of summer left, leading up to Elena's big eighteenth birthday, and it was all Caroline's idea to throw a huge beach party in favor of Elena. It was no wonder everyone, but Elena, was in support of throwing a raging beach party. Elena had lived and was still living even though she is practically a moving target for all the evil supernatural creatures that go bump in the night. She wasn't in the partying mood knowing that her boyfriend, Saint Stefan, was a slave to Klaus.

"I'm their teacher and I'm drinking with them while watching," Alaric motioned to a skimpily clad blonde dancing on Tyler Lockwood's crotch, "Tina's practically giving another one of my students a lap dance!" Alaric ran his hand over his weary face. Damon knew he had been sleeping uncomfortably in the Gilberts' living room, and it was finally taking its toll on his friend. "I am the teacher from hell."

"Nah," Damon clapped Alaric on the back. "I once knew a guy who had literally came from hell, and he was much scarier, meaner, and uglier than you." Damon looked throughout the sea of people on the dance floor, spotting Jeremy and Bonnie dancing innocently while Caroline gulped down drink after drink of the cheap alcohol and Matt was playing a quick game of sand volleyball with some of his football 'dudes'. There was one girl Damon couldn't seem to find though. "Where's Elena? She should be getting drunk, dancing slutty on some dick, and then eating her birthday cake greedily."

Alaric took another painfully, long gulp of alcohol before handing it back to Damon. He was best friends with Damon, but he also took over the role of being Elena's and Jeremy's guardian. He was practically their new father who should protect them from things like Damon Salvatore.

"You know, she's hardly eighteen. Drinking and acting on lust is wrong for her. She should be concentrating on school, senior year, and college applications. Not some vampire who is one hundred and seventy years old." Alaric gave Damon a pointed look.

Damon just gave Alaric his signature smirk before shrugging casually. "I think you have bigger problems than Elena falling for my charms."

"And what could be worse than that?" Alaric was almost too afraid to hear the answer that had Damon smiling like a cunning cat.

"Elena is still hell bent on finding Stefan. And it's going to be sooner rather than later that she finds out he's been only eight hours away. And it's going to be even more ghastly when she finds out that Stefan doesn't want to be found or saved. And—" Damon drew out the last 'and' to capture Alaric's undivided attention. "we will be here for her when she needs someone to pick up the pieces."

"Us?" Alaric asked. He had spent the whole summer listening to Damon and Elena bickering about the best way to deal with Stefan, but he also spent the better part of summer putting Jeremy's and Elena's lives back together with Damon's help. After losing Jenna, both Gilberts needed drastic saving as they pretended to the outside world that losing their aunt was okay. That they were grieving, when really, neither one really grieved properly.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Yes, us Ric. Jeremy, you, and me will be ready when she realizes Stefan is a lost cause now."

"Maybe—"

Damon finally snapped, getting tired and weary with all the Stefan talk. "There is no maybe. You saw the bodies in Georgia. He ripped apart and violated five innocent women, played with their body parts and bathed in their blood, before putting them back together. And if that wasn't enough, he had the decency to write you and I a message with their warm, delicious blood on the wall." Damon took a long swig of his alcohol, needing to calm down before speaking next. "He doesn't want our help, and the sooner Elena deals with that, then the better."

Alaric knew Damon was right, but a small part of him just wished that he hasn't taken on the role of Elena's guardian. Anyone with a sense of intelligence would have gone running straight for the hills. Elena is a moving target, and it was going to kill Alaric trying to protect her. But in that moment, he had to protect her from the hurt of Stefan and his rejection of their help and the other Salvatore brother who obviously has the hots for her. Alaric just didn't know which brother was more dangerous at the time.

"Where is Elena!" Caroline screeched. Damon rolled his eyes as the blonde bombshell grabbed the alcohol out of his hands without as much of a glance at his rocking body. "This is her fucking party that I planned. I mean," Caroline finally looked at Alaric and Damon, handing back Damon's alcohol after taking a small sip. She wasn't one for drinking the expensive stuff, but tasting Damon's stash definitely calmed her down. She suddenly felt a little ashamed, standing in front of her ex-boyfriend and history teacher.

"I thought she was with you," Alaric answered. His brows furrowed, and Damon had a pinch of worry in the pit of his stomach, but he wouldn't show it.

"_No_!" Caroline screeched again, only loud enough for any vampire or supernatural being to hear her from the balcony patio connecting to the old, but well furnished beach house that Damon had so graciously rented for their little gang. Everyone else would have to drive back or find their own place to stay considering they were at least an hour out of Mystic Falls. "And Tyler's dancing with slutty Tina and Matt is ignoring me," Caroline pouted. "Bonnie _totally_ is into Jeremy and so they're all googly eyes and Elena is supposed to be my wing woman." Caroline crossed her arms and stomped her foot.

Damon played it cool, although he did have a pinch of worry in the pit of his stomach. He merely shrugged his shoulders casually again, noticing when Caroline's heartbeat picked up and her eyes swept up his shirtless body. She had seen him naked enough to know what was underneath his black swim trunks that fell to his gorgeous knees.

He smirked and chuckled, making Caroline glare. She stomped her foot again, pouting even more. "Relax Barbie," Damon smoothly said. "I'll go find her. My impeccable hearing indicates she's still in her room."

Caroline looked to Alaric who also thought Damon going to find Elena might not be the best idea if she was still in her room, but before the two of them could say another, Damon sped off. He wasn't quite using his full vampire speed, but it was enough to beat Alaric if he tried to race against him while running at a human pace.

When Damon was out of hearing range and Caroline knew the music would mute them, she looked at Alaric with dread.

"He's into her." Caroline bit her bottom lip, her sharp teeth revealing themselves for a split second. "It's only a matter of time until Elena falls for his annoying charm and disgusting body."

Alaric chuckled at how Caroline spit out her words when describing Damon. It was no question that Bonnie and Caroline didn't approve of Damon, but they were never around when Damon came over to the house at night time, cooked dinner for Jeremy, Elena, and him, and then Damon would proceed to paste their dysfunctional family back together repeatedly. Outside of the two remaining Gilberts and himself, everyone believed Damon held no heart, but Alaric knew it was only a matter of time before Damon truly revealed himself to others.

"Why are you laughing?" Caroline whined. "This is a _disaster_! She _cannot_ fall for Damon. He is a monster!"

Alaric held up his hands in surrender. He was so over high school drama. "I'm not saying a word, Caroline. I plead the fifth."

"When Elena comes out, tell her I'm drinking my misery away."

"Duly noted," Alaric mumbled, still wondering how he turned into the teacher that chaperoned illegal beach parties with minors drinking their troubles away.

* * *

When Damon walked into the spacious beach house he sighed as he quickly used his vampire speed to pick up lazily tossed beach towels from the night before. He knew Bonnie and Jeremy had gone into the hot tub the night before, he had heard them. That didn't mean that he listened, oh no. He tuned them out as soon as the teenage witch suggested something mature rated.

Afterwards, Damon ran up the stairs to Elena's bedroom. He knocked gently on the door, his mind not ready to see what Elena had chosen to wear to her own birthday beach party. He didn't wait for her to allow him to enter, she would know that it was him since he pushed the door open without her inviting him.

"Damon!" Elena scolded as she stood in front of him, hands on her dainty hips that lead to very incredible long legs. Her eyes narrowed as he smirked at her; appreciating how she was wearing the shortest shorts he had ever seen her wear. "What if I was changing?!"

Damon rolled his eyes, and made his way over to her borrowed bed. Her room was a typical teenage girls room, clothes and shoes thrown about casually, even though they had only been there for one whole week. His OCD about cleaning things almost kicked in, but instead, he laid down on her bed, propping his head up with his hands.

"I told you before, if I see something I've never seen before then I'll throw a dollar at it." He smirked, hoping that would get a smile out of her, and he felt accomplished as he saw the blush that rose to her cheeks and she looked away.

He crossed his legs at the ankles and watched Elena as she stared at herself through the full body length mirror. "You know," he kept his tone light, "Blondie is going to have a fit if you don't come downstairs anytime soon. She seems to have some delusional idea that you're her wing woman tonight." Damon scoffed, not liking the idea of Elena flirting with drunk teenage boys who would love to get into her swim shorts.

Elena rolled her eyes, not liking the idea of following Caroline around all night either. "You know, this is supposed to be my birthday party. Following Care around all night doesn't seem that much fun."

Damon was happy to hear that Elena didn't want to parade around in front of other boys either. If anything, he could think of a hundred things to do with Elena instead of hang out with all the drunk idiots downstairs on the beach. He was sure though, Elena was not ready for what he had in mind.

He shifted on her bed, grabbing onto the bikini Elena had laid out on the bed. Throughout the week, he had seen her in multiple swim suits, ones that covered her modestly, but enhanced her breasts and long, tan legs. The thin material he was holding now was nearly the opposite of what she wore that week. It was red and tied around her neck and back, looking like it would hardly cover anything to the eye. Her bottoms matched the red top, tying on both sides of her, and Damon had to wonder if the material was meant to cover this girls ass.

"Thank you," Elena said swiftly, pulling the suit out of Damon's hands. "I better change, and then go find Caroline. I promised I would stick with her tonight since Tyler surprised her and brought a date." Elena stuck out her tongue in the mirror, her distaste evident. "I can't believe Tyler brought Tina! I can't stand her!"

Damon's eye brows shot up, this wasn't like Elena. The Elena he knew and is in love with liked everyone. She cared and would sacrifice anything to save anyone. He didn't know she had a mean bone in her body.

"Well I think she's hot. I wouldn't mind taking her for a spin." Damon licked his lips. "I bet she would taste great too."

Elena threw the closest thing to her at Damon. Her hair brush hit him in his chest, not phasing him at all. "You're a pig. And if you must know, she's actually nice, but since Care is into Tyler it's mandatory that I not speak to her because she came with Tyler."

"Eww, girl code. I'm _so_ not familiar with that," Damon stood up, feeling great about himself that he managed to get Elena to talk about uncomplicated matters and that she would soon be gracing herself at her own party. "So, do you need help changing?"

Again, heat rose to Elena's cheeks, but she turned away from Damon. It was still a little awkward after they shared their kiss in Damon's bed. They hadn't talked about it since then and that had been over three months ago. Elena didn't know if she was ready to talk to Damon about the kiss, and she knew that it was like a ticking bomb. She couldn't keep listening to Damon make sexual innuendos and then blush like a school girl. She knew he was expecting the talk soon, although he would never push her unless he thought she was ready to talk about it too.

"Again," Elena wrinkled her nose in distaste, although her heart was pounding and she knew Damon could hear it, "you're a pig. So no, I don't need help."

Damon left without saying another word, but he didn't head downstairs to the party yet. The better man in him knew not to let a woman enter her own party without a man at her side. It was his gentleman side that wanted to accompany Elena to her birthday. He wanted to be the man she made her appearance with. It was finally his turn without Stefan around, and he selfishly wanted everyone that Elena was friends with to know that she had a new man in town and his name was not Stefan Salvatore.

Of course, the better part of him knew that he wasn't being fair to Stefan. His brooding brother would be here if he could. Unfortunately, he was compelled by Klaus to serve ten long years with him on a ripping spree. Stefan was in this mess because of Damon. He felt responsible for losing Stefan, and it made Damon wonder why Elena didn't blame him for his brother's disappearance. Damon blamed himself and he had heard Caroline complaining to Bonnie about how it was his fault. Surprisingly, Bonnie had defended him and that made Damon smile a bit. The witch was coming around to him, slowly but surely.

When Elena opened her bedroom door, she walked right into Damon's chest, not expecting him to be right outside her room. She had thought he had gone downstairs again to go drink with Alaric. As she looked up into his bright blue eyes that had suddenly gone dark, she couldn't even get one word out before Damon spoke up sternly.

"No." Damon grabbed her wrist, and started walking her back into her room. He had to nearly drag her before Elena planted her feet on the ground.

"What the hell, Damon?" Elena hissed in confusion. She yanked her hand out of his grasp, knowing that if Damon didn't want to let her go then she had no chance of actually escaping him because of his strength.

"No." He started zooming around her room, and within three seconds, Elena was smacked in the face by her black swim suit she wore the other day. "Change. You are not wearing…_that_." Damon motioned to the material that pushed her breast up so that her cleavage was more evident than he had ever seen.

Usually, Elena would agree with him, but she wasn't going to be told what to do by him. He was her friend, and yes, she depended on him a lot over the summer, but he did not get to dictate everything in her life. "I'm not changing. Caroline picked out this swim suit. Plus, I don't have to listen to you."

Elena started to walk out of the room again, her ass swaying in the swim bottoms that highlighted her best features on her perfect body. Damon let his eyes wander for a second before using his speed to stand right in front of Elena. He heard her heart speed up at the shock of him blocking her path again.

His eyes were dangerous, and if Damon concentrated very hard, then he could start to feel the red emerge faintly around his eyes while black veins slowly crawl down to his cheeks. But he took a deep breath, calming his nerves just a little bit. He really needed alcohol.

"This isn't a debate. You're already a target, and Alaric and I don't need to add 'protecting you from drunk, idiots' to our list of things-to-do." Damon put his hands on her shoulders, and turned her around once more. He slowly guided her into her room, his breath hot on her neck. Oh yeah, he could definitely think of more than a hundred things to do to Elena now. "Now be a good girl and change."

Elena huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Damon closed his eyes, knowing she couldn't see him since he was behind her. Please, he thought to himself, don't do anything more to push your breasts together. He knew he wouldn't be able to control himself around her if she did anything else.

"How about we compromise?" Elena turned around, batting her doe eyes at him. He was a sucker for her big brown eyes, but Damon would kill Elena before letting her downstairs in that swim suit that didn't cover anything. "I'll wear a cover up and then no one will see me. I'll be perfectly safe from all the," Elena lowered her voice, mocking Damon, "_evil_ high school boys."

Damon bit his tongue, "You think I'm kidding, but you are a target for danger Gilbert." Damon tossed Elena her white cover-up, knowing damn well that she would still look fucking hot in that. Damon offered her his arm once Elena was done covering up the best she could. He saw the smirk on her face. She thought she had won against him, but really, they both knew Damon would always win between them. "Shall we?"

Elena rolled her eyes playfully, a hint of a smile on her face as she put her arm through Damon's. This was the first real party she had gone to without Stefan, and now she was debuting with Stefan's older brother. No matter what Elena did, she couldn't get rid of a Salvatore.

"I can do this," Elena said more to herself than Damon. It had been years since she went to a party single. And now that Stefan was gone, she technically was single, although it hurt in the worse way possible to think about Stefan and her actually separated. "I can go to my own party. I can drink cheap beer. I can dance. I can play the wing woman Care needs. And I can have a good time."

Damon smiled down at Elena as they approached the doors that lead to the loud music and drunken teenagers. "Of course you can do this Gilbert." Damon cockily smirked. "You're with me. You'll have nothing but a great time. I happen to be fucking hot, sexy in the best way possible, and a superb dancer."

Yup, Damon had fallen for Elena months ago, and it was when Elena smiled and laughed at his words that he knew his shot with Elena was coming. Whether Stefan returns or not, it is now Damon's time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note-Thank you to the people who are following this story or who clicked the 'favorite' button. That means a lot to me. I also like reviews, whether they're critique reviews or positive reviews. I hope you like this chapter. Believe me, it might start off slow, but at the end there is my very own character introduced. It's about to be supernatural central in Mystic Falls again. I think they had a quiet enough summer. :)**

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Elena pulled the blanket up over her head to block out the sun. This was her last day of summer and so far there were no leads concerning Stefan that whole week. That was unusual in many ways considering during the whole summer, Damon and sometimes Alaric, traveled to different cities, tracking Stefan's whereabouts. Sheriff Forbes was becoming quite handy in the cause to find Stefan.

Elena groaned as her phone went off. That had been the tenth time her phone indicated an unread text message. It was times like this that made her miss Stefan more. It was as if her whole body craved him. She didn't blame him for going off with Klaus. It wasn't his fault. He was compelled to serve a ten year term with Klaus in exchange for Damon's life. In fact, Elena had realized that she loved Stefan even more for going with Klaus because it showed that Stefan was honorable and stuck to his word. He was protecting his brother, just like Damon would have done the same.

Elena sighed…Damon. She scrunched up her nose as she remembered her birthday party the weekend before. It was her party and usually she would have had an amazing time. She loves to dance and drink and hang out with friends, but that was before her parents passed away. She had changed since the car accident, and so, during her birthday party, instead of indulging in her old life, she followed Caroline around and listened to her drunken ramblings about Tyler and slutty Tina. And to make matters worse, at the end of the night, Caroline was so drunk that she started talking about Elena and lecturing her on Damon Salvatore.

She moaned, thinking about how her blonde friend had spoken loud enough for Damon to hear. Caroline ranted and raved about how she knows Elena finds Damon hot. She nearly screeched at the top of her lungs about Elena wanting to fuck Damon. It was probably one of the most embarrassing moments Elena has had in front of Damon, but she shrugged it off that night. She didn't care what he thought that night because the alcohol she consumed did its job to make her forget her feelings, but now a week later, she was dealing with the consequences.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," a smooth voice rang out in a sing-song tone. Elena's eyes popped open as she whipped her covers off and sat up in bed. She looked at Damon sitting on her window seat, holding her teddy bear that she dropped on accident during the night. "Breakfast is on the table."

Breakfast…made for her, Jeremy, and Alaric…again. Damon had been doing a lot of the cooking in the house that summer, and at first Elena found it annoying because they should have been out in the world looking for Stefan, but Damon convinced her otherwise.

"I'm not hungry." Elena glanced down at herself and pulled her tank top up so her cleavage wasn't showing. "And what are you doing here? It's seven in the morning on the last day of summer. I should be sleeping in."

She tried to sound annoyed, but she couldn't help her smile as she smelled the syrup wafting upstairs from the kitchen and the sounds of Jeremy and Alaric bantering back and forth. Her eyes caught Damon staring intently at her, his blue eyes unnerving as she pulled her covers up, acting like she was cold in ninety degree weather.

"Seriously?" Elena glared. "What are you doing here?"

Damon shrugged, standing up casually in his dark blue jeans, black t-shirt that fit his biceps perfectly, and his too expensive sunglasses tucked into the v-cut of his shirt. He looked good and was probably the only person Elena knew that could wear all dark colors in the summer heat without breaking a sweat.

He walked up to her, making her feel small and vulnerable. He bent down without saying a word, his signature smirk adorning his face when he leaned in closer, his body weight being held up by his hands resting on the side of her bed. Her brown doe eyes glanced at his moist lips before looking back into his blue orbs.

Damon laid her stuffed animal next to her before speaking in an intense tone, his eyes never leaving her face. "There's a lead on my baby bro. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, and I just wanted to let you know."

Elena's heart rate picked up. Maybe this lead could be the one that actually led them to Stefan. Maybe if Damon found him the next day, then their whole summer wouldn't have been wasted. Elena finally felt a new light of hope as she smiled widely at Damon.

"This could be the one, Damon!" She threw her covers off, and grabbed her robe that was carelessly thrown on the ground by her bed. "I feel it Damon. This lead is different."

Damon raised one perfectly manicured eye brow, almost not convinced by Elena's enthusiasm. "How can you be so sure? We haven't found him all summer, and this one probably isn't any different."

Elena shook her head. She knew Damon was defeated. He started losing hope back in July, after four weeks of looking for his brother. Elena had only started losing hope a week before her birthday. They hadn't had a lead since then, but now there was a new hope in Elena's eye. She was practically ready to give up ten minutes before Damon came over, and now Stefan felt like he was within their grasp.

"Damon," she nearly exclaimed with joy. She rushed to his side, and laid her hand on his arm in a comforting way. It was merely a touch for Elena, but to Damon, seeing her hand on his pale arm meant the world to him. Elena followed his gaze to their touching skin, but cleared her throat once the moment became too intense. She focused herself and spoke what she meant to say three seconds before she looked at their connection. "We haven't had a lead for two weeks. Something is different with this lead. I can feel it in my bones. You're going to bring him back. We're going to save him."

Damon didn't want to burst Elena's hopeful words and thinking. He was afraid Stefan was too far gone from saving. Elena hasn't seen the ripped apart bodies or the blood smeared across the walls as Stefan chased his victims around their own homes. His brother enjoyed the torture and Damon couldn't bring himself to tell Elena that gruesome detail.

He looked Elena in the eye, breathing out slightly as he hated keeping the truth from her. "Okay," he agreed. He didn't want to admit it, but Elena's hope sparked hope within him. He didn't want to admit that they might have a small, minuscule chance of helping Stefan because he didn't want to get his hopes up and then have his hopes smashed to pieces. Damon knew that he couldn't hold himself and Elena together, but with Elena and her strong beliefs, Damon was willing to let a small sliver of hope enter his body. "You're right, Elena. There's a chance we can still get Stefan back."

Elena smiled. It was her smile that made Damon melt in the legs, although he would never admit that because he was too manly, but he melted his heart just a bit when Elena's smile nearly reached her eyes.

"Now, go get ready. I have a trip planned for us today." Damon became himself again, all thoughts of Stefan pushed to the back of his mind. He didn't want to think about the fact it was his fault that his brother was with Klaus, he didn't want Elena to worry about her boyfriend ripping into innocent girls, and he definitely wanted Elena to have an enjoyable last day of summer.

Elena gave Damon an unsure look. He was expecting Elena to be her naturally stubborn self. She always was when he proposed they go do something. But in the end, he always would win and Elena would always follow him. "Damon, I don't know. It's the last day of summer and I told Jeremy and Alaric that we could cook out tonight before we start school and—"

"I already know about dinner. Ric invited me two days ago." Damon grabbed Elena's towel from the hook on her closet door and threw it to her. He practically knew where everything was in the Gilbert house better than his own home. "Trust me, you're going to love what I planned."

Elena bit her lip, deciding it might just be easier to agree with Damon rather than bicker with him. "Okay. Just give me thirty minutes and I'll be ready."

"Need any help in the shower?" Damon asked, already knowing the answer and walking towards the door to head downstairs. He didn't wait for her answer as he could picture Elena rolling her eyes at his question.

* * *

Alaric stretched in the kitchen before pouring himself a cup of coffee. If Jeremy wasn't sitting at the table only ten feet away then he would have poured bourbon in his mug too. But he was the guardian now and he had to set a good example.

"You know, a bed would be more comfortable instead of the lumpy sofa," Damon said, slipping into the kitchen without Jeremy or Alaric noticing until he spoke. He also grabbed the bottle of alcohol that Alaric kept in the cabinet and poured it into his friends drink without asking.

Alaric motioned to Jeremy who was looking amused. "I'm setting an example for Jeremy. You know, some of us have responsibilities, dick."

Damon rolled his eyes, looking at Jeremy who was drawing something in his sketchbook. "Some people aren't morning people. Keep that in my little Gilbert."

"Noted," Jeremy said, shoveling a pile of scrambled eggs into his mouth. Jeremy would never admit that he counted Damon as a friend, nor would he say 'thank you' to Damon for cooking nearly every day, but he was already used to the one hundred and seventy year old vampire making himself at home.

Alaric grabbed himself another plate of the pancakes Damon made, along with a side of bacon made to perfection. He sat across from Jeremy, drinking his spiked coffee regardless of the alcohol. He looked at Damon who stood against the counter, arms crossed. "Do you really think this could be the lead to bring us to Stefan?"

Jeremy rolled his eye, not caring about Stefan at the moment. He didn't voice his opinion in respect that Stefan was Damon's younger brother and that Stefan was still his sister's boyfriend…kind of. He wasn't really that sure if anyone could consider Elena and Stefan boyfriend and girlfriend again.

"Of course," Elena answered for Damon, coming into the kitchen right at the end of Alaric's question. "There's something different about this lead, I can feel it."

Alaric plastered on a fake smile. "Alright then."

"Morning Jere. You and Bonnie doing anything special today? It's the last day of summer you know." Elena was unusually chipper, Damon noted. She was the opposite of how he found her that morning. She really was putting all her faith into this lead, and he wasn't about to let her down.

"She might come by for the barbeque tonight, but she's busy at the—" Jeremy stopped talking the moment Damon's foot slammed down on his own. "Ow! What the hell was that—" Jeremy stopped talking once Damon looked down at him with a strained smile. He realized he wasn't supposed to say and he forgot. He turned back to his sister who looked so confused. "She's busy with something witchy."

"Come on," Damon said, covering Jeremy's slip up. "We have to go or else we'll be late."

Elena should have felt guiltier about just going off with Damon, but they were friends, and he was the only other person who knew how she felt during the summer. He had lost his only family member left and even though comparing a brother to a boyfriend didn't even come close as being the same, he understood Elena's heartbreak more than anyone.

Elena said her goodbyes to Alaric and Jeremy before following Damon out to his car. She smiled as she felt the warmth of the sun on her skin. She had picked up a nice tan over the summer, Damon and Caroline refusing to let her stay inside and wallow the whole time. Elena even had the joy of accompanying Caroline to cheerleading camp to watch. Elena could have chosen something else to do, but her blonde friend wanted to keep Elena close so that she wouldn't fall apart because of Stefan's departure.

"You should do that more often," Damon said quietly. He wasn't one for being sappy or sentimental, but Elena brought out the man in him.

"Do what?" Elena asked. She didn't get into the car when Damon opened the door for her.

"You're smiling. It's be a long time since I've seen you do it naturally." Damon looked down at Elena, his eyes immediately finding her brown orbs. He didn't miss the small look Elena took of his lips, and he internally smiled; knowing she was thinking of him and his lips for a split second. However, his younger brother went flashing through his mind and guilt made itself known in the pit of Damon's stomach. How could he be flirting with his brother's girl? It wasn't fair to Stefan and it wasn't fair to him or Elena either.

Damon cleared his throat before Elena could say anything else. "Get in the car, Gilbert. We're going to be late."

Elena watched as Damon made his way to the other side of the car, and sighed. She is in love with Stefan, but instead of spending a carefree summer with him, she spent it with his older brother. Granted, they were doing everything in their power to help Stefan, but she still felt like she was cheating on Stefan every time she went off with Damon.

When she finally got in, the drive was silent. They were both lost in their own thoughts. It was when Damon parked his car next to Matt's beat up pick-up truck in their high school parking lot, Elena became even more confused.

"What are we doing here?" She asked immediately. Kids from her class were piling out of their cars, carrying paper cups and loads of toilet paper.

Damon smiled, "You needed some fun and so Barbie planned a senior prank day. I heard it's an annual thing and a ritual for all seniors to do."

Elena looked around her, not needing to look through a window since Damon had taken off the top of his car for the summer. "Usually the seniors do it at night though."

"A tip from Liz indicated that security is coming promptly at sundown. Which means," Damon exited his car and made his way around to Elena's side, "you have approximately ten hours to turn this school upside down."

Elena got out of the car too, spotting Caroline and Bonnie across the lot near Tyler's car. "Jeremy knew you were taking me here. He knew about today." Elena put together Jeremy's slip up from the kitchen.

"Bingo," Damon said sarcastically. "The kid is almost as bad at lying then you are."

"Elena!" Bonnie yelled with joy. Elena smiled and waved back. "Come on! We're hitting the gym first."

Elena called back, "I'll be right there!" Elena turned back to Damon, smiling gently at him. "Thank you."

"I figured you could use a day to feel normal. And what's more normal than destroying your high school with childish pranks?" Damon started getting into his car again.

"You're not staying?" She didn't want to sound clingy, but she figured Damon was just going to stay and help. The idea of him pranking her school made her giggle because it seemed so out of nature for Damon to actually indulge in innocent, high school fun.

"I have errands to run, people to see, better things to do than vandalize a building. I was just the chauffer this morning."

"Elena!" Caroline called out impatiently. Elena looked behind herself and saw Caroline and Bonnie waiting for her. "Come on!"

"Thanks Damon. I'll see you later tonight at home."

Damon watched Elena run off with her friends before leaving. He had a council meeting to get too and by Liz's tone of voice, something was terribly wrong. He so did not need the stress of something else being added to his responsibilities when he had to prepare and hunt before searching for his baby brother the next day.

* * *

They had been at the school for the last two hours setting up different classrooms with traps of toilet paper, mouse traps, and cups fill with water. It was time for Alaric's classroom to be broken into and so Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena made their way to their history classroom, arms filled with silly string, whip cream and cheese spray. Caroline was also carrying a bottle of oil to spread on the floor, wanting to make it as slippery as possible.

"So, is Damon going to be at your house tonight?" Bonnie tried to ask as casually as possible. She knew that Damon had been around the Gilberts house a lot that summer since Jeremy had a big mouth, and at first the idea upset Bonnie, that Elena was choosing to turn to Damon over her two best friends, but the more Jeremy talked about Damon making himself home at their house, the more Bonnie was seeing that maybe that was a good thing. Jeremy no longer seemed depressed. He now had a look about him that made him seem like his grieving days were over. Damon was a part of making Jeremy and Elena move on from Jenna's terrible death.

Caroline rolled her eyes, putting her prank supplies down on Alaric's desk. She didn't want to take Bonnie's subtle approach. She was in no mood when she had her own drama with Tyler to work through. Did that werewolf want her or not? The friends line was starting to become blurry between them.

"Elena, what Bonnie is trying to ask is, have you fallen for Damon or not? Do we need to have a friend intervention?" Caroline put her hands on her hips, spinning around to look at Elena intently.

"What?!" Elena exclaimed. Was Caroline serious? How could she even think about falling for Damon when Stefan was still in the picture? "Are you crazy? How can you ask me that?"

Bonnie glared at Caroline. She then looked at Elena gently. "What Caroline is trying to say is that we've both noticed how Damon spends a lot of his time at your house lately, and although we both have reservations about Damon, we just need to know your feelings about him. We don't want to see you get hurt again."

Elena laughed bitterly. "Hurt again? I'm still not done being hurt the first time. I'm not even done accepting that Stefan is out there with Klaus." Elena sat on the corner of Alaric's desk, all of a sudden feeling a little lightheaded. "I am in love with Stefan. It will always be Stefan."

"But—" Bonnie got cut off by Caroline.

"So then stop spending all your time with Damon. Don't let him sneak up on you when you're vulnerable." Caroline knew she was biased since she used to sleep with Damon and he treated her horribly, but she didn't want Elena to make the same mistakes she had. "He's disgusting and evil."

"You're alive because of him," Elena defended.

"You so DO have feelings for him! You're even defending him!" Caroline screeched in disbelief. She really was on edge with Tyler and then not being able to eat that morning. She sighed as she looked at Elena who seemed hurt by her words. "I'm sorry, Elena, but Stefan has been gone this whole summer and Damon has been your shoulder to cry on. Bonnie and I just want to know what you're feeling."

"I don't know what I'm feeling," Elena admitted. "I know I'm in love with Stefan and that I'm willing to do anything to get him back, and I know that my feelings for him are all that I can concentrate on." Elena didn't count the small moments she let herself think about Damon as being significant. Her friends didn't need to know that at night, when Elena couldn't sleep and when her mind couldn't think about Stefan anymore then she would turn her thoughts to Damon. No one but her journal could know that she did worry about Damon whenever he left to search for Stefan just to satisfy her. It was selfish of Elena, but she wasn't ready to admit that there could be slight feelings for Damon beneath her surface.

After her mini conversation with Bonnie and Caroline, Elena didn't feel that excited decorating Alaric's classroom. She ventured out into the hallway, running into Matt who was carrying a handful of toilet paper.

"Hey Matt!" She greeted. It was good to see him smiling again. She knew he was still upset over Caroline and Tyler's budding relationship.

"Hey Elena," Matt said back easily. "Want to accompany me to the Principal's office? Tyler's meeting up there in about twenty minutes when he's done with the bathroom."

Elena would do anything not to think about Caroline's words and so she quickly agreed, thankful for Matt's distraction. "Here," she offered, taking some things from his hands. "Let me help you."

They walked casually to the office, the lights remaining off in the building, creating an eerie feel. Elena had never noticed just how creepy a school could seem with all the lights turned off.

"I'm getting a little spooked," she admitted as Matt opened the unlocked door. No one else was with them and it seemed even darker in the office.

Matt set down the toilet paper he was carrying on the secretary's desk. "You're okay with vampires and hybrids, but not with darkness?" Matt asked, mocking her a little bit. He earned a smile from Elena. "You're so weird Elena."

Elena rolled her eyes, loving how easily she could talk to Matt still. She knew he was tossed into all the craziness the moment he found out about Caroline and their secrets of the supernatural beings that roamed their city.

"So," she changed the subject, lowering her voice to sound comforting. "How are you handling everything?"

Matt shrugged, trying to act indifferent to her question. "Honestly? I'm doing okay." He started opening the packages of toilet paper to distract him, but then decided better and turned towards Elena again. If there was one person he could talk to, he knew that the person would be Elena. "Actually, I'm trying not to think of it. I don't know how to deal with the fact that my ex-girlfriend is a vampire. My best friend is a werewolf who can kill any vampire with a bite. Also, it's hard to believe that you're a doppelganger who is dating another vampire who is crazy right now and that you're possibly falling for his older vampire brother. And oh yeah," Matt said in near hysterics, "Bonnie's a witch and Alaric, who is my history teacher, is a vampire hunter."

"Well, well, well," a deep voice said tauntingly. Elena and Matt whirled around to see who was approaching them in their enclosed office space. "I really did pick the right town to ruin."

Matt put his arm in front of Elena, ready to protect her from whoever was standing in the archway. She had never heard that voice before and she certainly had never seen this man in her life. He was at least six feet tall, taller than a lot of the boys she hung around with, he had dirty blonde hair that looked rugged and messed up like he had just casually rolled out of bed, and his body was lean and taunt.

The clothes matched Damon's perfectly and Elena wondered for a split second if every 'bad guy' had impeccable taste in clothes. This mystery person was wearing a black button up dress shirt, his sleeves rolled to his elbows while the top two buttons on his shirt were undone. His black jeans clung to his slim hips as Elena trailed her eyes over this anonymous being.

"Who are you?" Elena asked boldly. He looked no older than Damon and so he was either here to bust their party or to cause some kind of threat, although she was sure there was no way he could be worse than the threats made against her the previous year with Katherine and Klaus.

The blonde smirked, but not a Damon smirk. His smirk nearly came up to his eye as the right side of his mouth indented meticulously. He was judging them just like Elena judged him, although his way of looking at her sent a chill up her spine. She didn't like his gray, cold eyes lingering over her chest or the split of her legs that led to her most intimate part of her body. It felt as if he was evaluating her crucially and it unnerved her.

Suddenly, the man smiled, showing his very white and sharp teeth. Elena had to squint in order to see that his teeth were naturally sharp and not vampire sharp. That made her even more nervous.

"I'm sorry," he said with charm. If he didn't have blonde hair that curled at the tips slightly and his skin wasn't practically glowing then Elena would have believed this was a second Damon. His tone, his charm, and his devastatingly charismatic personality were overpowering. Elena could only imagine that he could make everyone in a room seem insignificant with just one look.

He stepped forward, offering his hand to Matt. "I was rude before. I didn't mean to overhear. I'm Alec. It's my pleasure." He held his hand in front of himself. "Alec King."

Matt looked back at Elena with discomfort in his light blue eyes. Elena had her hand on Matt's upper arm from when he blocked her from Alec approaching. Matt slowly started to shake Alec's hand for pleasantry.

"I'm Matt Donovan and this is Elena Gilbert." Matt went to take his hand back and his eyes went wide as Alec's grip tightened to almost unbearable pain. He felt his knees go weak as tears actually pricked his eyes. He wanted to scream out as he felt tiny bones crack and crumble under Alec's grip.

"Matt!" Elena yelled. She went to push Alec, anything to let his grip loose, but with his free hand, Alec whipped his hand out to the side, connecting with Elena's chest, springing her across the twenty feet of room and into the desk of Miss. Turk's. Pain flooded through Elena's entire being. Alec didn't just toss her aside as if she weighed like nothing. He swatted her into a desk that broke into ten different pieces. Dust and wood covered Elena as her leg cut open wide from a leg of the desk and her back seemed battered beyond repair from cuts and bruises. If she wasn't mistaken, even her forehead had a small cut on it above her eye brow.

Alec smiled at Matt before picking him up by the throat with one hand and Elena watched in revulsion as Matt went flying the opposite way and into the strong, wooden door of their principal's. He went crashing through the glass window and wood of the door and landed on top of the desk, rolling off of it in a heap. Elena took in a sharp breath of air as she noticed Matt didn't pick up his head. She hoped to god that he was just unconscious and breathing rather than dead.

Alec started to approach Elena, a shine in his eyes as he smiled at her. Elena tried to stand and grab anything remotely sharp by her, but something was digging into her back and it hurt too much to stand. Her body weight gave up on her and she collapsed in a pathetic heap.

It all happened too fast as Caroline came charging into the room, using her vampire speed to throw Alec off, but she was pushed away like a fly. She went crashing back into the hallway, knocking into some of the doorframe and taking bits and pieces of it with her. Tyler was next, his eyes glowing yellow because of his werewolf gene.

"Ah, yes, you must be the best friend of Matt's. He had a lot of complaining about all of you." Alec threw Tyler off with his talking and instantly reached his hand into Tyler's chest.

"No!" Elena screamed out, knowing Alec could instantly kill Tyler. Even Tyler knew Alec could kill him and Elena tried desperately to stand again.

It was Bonnie who made Alec drop Tyler on the ground like he was dirt on his clothes. Elena was relieved to see Bonnie appear in the doorway, her hand thrown out in front of her, a determined look on her face as she made Alec's brain explode over and over again.

It didn't last long though before Alec stopped and sent her the same smirk Elena was given. Bonnie looked scared for the first time since her last incident with Klaus. Elena knew she was still trying to get all her power back, and helping Jeremy come back to life had put a strain on her witchy powers. It felt like it was no use for Bonnie to even try to get Alec to back down when all she could do was cause pain to his mind.

"I'm done with all this high school drama." Alec walked up to Bonnie and she raised her eyes to meet his. "Well, a Bennett witch is certainly always an interesting encounter. However," Alec grabbed her by her throat and held her high. Bonnie was struggling for breath and Elena saw the trail of blood coming from her nose. "You bore me. You're not Emily, that's for sure."

He threw her over to where Matt fell. She groaned, but Elena was relieved to see Bonnie at least sit up, instantly looking down at Matt's lifeless and bloody form.

"Back to you, sweetie. You know," Alec approached again and Elena winced in pain again. "There's just something about a girl wearing short jean shorts and a white top that gets my heart thumping." Alex stopped short of Elena and bent down to her height. He crouched on the hunches of his feet and stroked her cheek. Elena whipped her head to the side, feeling disgust throughout her body. "If I had a heart then it would be beating fast at the sight of you my darling."

Elena had enough of this. If he was going to kill her, then he might as well because she couldn't take his eyes watching her with a certain predator look looming in the orbs. She clenched her jaw and didn't look away from his gray, frosty eyes.

"Go to hell," she snarled.

Alec snarled and picked her up by her neck. Every fiber of her being felt like it was on fire with pain. Her legs wanted to give out but Alec stood her up, held her against the wall.

"Your blood is going to taste delicious." Alec nuzzled his nose against her neck and Elena tried pushing him away. "But, it's not your time to die. In fact, I'm not going to kill anyone of you." Alec pulled back smiling. "Listen carefully Elena _Pierce_."

Elena gasped as his hands dug harder into her hips, surely bruising them with his harsh fingers.

"I am your worst nightmare. You think Klaus is evil? I have one thousand years on him, maybe even more." Alec chuckled as if he was thinking of a private joke. "Maybe even a little more or less. I was never really good at arithmetic. But either way, you know what threat I pose."

"What do you want?" Elena gritted out. She really wished Damon had stayed with her. However, some relief floated through her because if Damon was with her, she knew he would have gotten himself killed. He would never let anyone hurt her and he would do something stupid to get himself hurt instead.

Alec chuckled. He touched Elena's cheek tenderly, and for a moment Elena thought she saw something flash through his lifeless eyes, but it terrified her as his eyes turned darker to coal and red veins floated from his eyes.

"I want you. I want your blood, body, mind, and soul. Everything you have, I need and want." Elena's heart thumped wildly and tears sprang to her eyes. Alec spoke harshly in her ear, his hard body pressed against hers. "I cannot wait until it's time to watch you bleed dry. I've been waiting two thousand years for this, and I am not missing my chance."

Alec sprang back from Elena to allow her to breath. "But for now I need you alive. This was just my introduction." He looked around at all his damage, hearing Caroline starting to wake up from the hit she took. "Consider this my welcome party, and believe me, there is more to come."

"Elena!" Jeremy called from the distance, and it only took a moment for Elena to figure out that Bonnie or Caroline must have texted Damon, Alaric, and Jeremy that something was happening at the school. She didn't want her little brother here to get hurt and surely Alec would hurt him.

Alec stroked Elena's cheek once more, wiping the blood from the small cut on her forehead. He licked his fingers enthusiastically, noticing that three men were approaching them.

"Move any closer and I'll kill her," Alec warned and in that instant Elena wished she could tell them the truth. Alec wouldn't kill her, but she couldn't tell Damon, Alaric, or Jeremy that and so the three guys stopped like Alec wanted. She knew it was taking all of Damon's self restrain not to rush Alec, but the sight of everyone thrown about the room was enough to make him reconsider his every move.

Alec showed Elena his fangs. He gently laid a kiss at the corner of her mouth, tasting the tear that ran down her cheek. "Until we meet again, love."

He flew out the window with such stealth and agility that if Elena were to blink than she would have missed his exit.

She slowly raised her hand to her mouth and slid down the wall, falling into a sitting position, her back scratching even more against the wall that was smeared with her blood.

Damon was the first one to her, Alaric treating to Bonnie and Matt while Jeremy looked down at Tyler, noticed him breathing and then also went to Elena's side.

"How bad is she hurt?" Jeremy asked right away.

Damon was sitting in front of her, just like Alec and Elena's mind instantly switched Damon from her view to Alec. A small gasp escaped her mouth as she noticed just how similar Damon was to the man. This was all beginning to be too much for her. She blinked and looked into Damon's crystal blue eyes.

"Elena?" Damon asked softly. He held her, cradled her in his soft and smooth hands. He looked over Elena's shoulder as she slumped against him and he saw the scratches and bruises covering her back. It took all of his power not to rush out of the same window and track down this bastard who hurt Elena. "You're fading fast."

"Give her your blood!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"Tyler," Caroline said in the background. She looked down at the boy who she was falling for and realized he was still breathing. "Good," she murmured before being pulled over to Matt's lifeless body.

"He needs blood Caroline," Alaric said in a sturdy voice.

Elena looked over Damon's shoulder and remembered how Alec brutally gripped Matt's hand and took him down to the ground. "Matt," she whispered, tears appearing in her eyes. "Oh god," she looked up into Damon's eyes. She needed him to put her together again. She was slowly losing herself in the pain and hurt that she seemed to always cause everyone around her. "This all happened because of me. Is he…is he dead?" Elena whispered in shock.

"Jeremy," Damon instructed with great strain to his voice. He didn't want to snap at Jeremy and scare Elena. "Go check on Matt and the mutt. I'll deal with Elena."

"She needs blood Da—"

"Go!" Damon hissed. " I know what she needs."

Jeremy left with a huff, worry evident on his face as he went to Tyler to make sure his wound was healing in his chest.

"Elena?" Damon asked, softly running his fingers over the wound on her face. "Look at me."

She looked up at Damon, her teeth nibbling into her bottom lip to keep from falling apart.

"You need blood. You're fading quickly and your wounds are all over your back. I'm pretty sure some of your fingers might be broken too."

"It hurts," she whimpered. "There's something in my back, Damon." She cried as he shifted her, and she let more tears fall as she heard Damon curse. "What is it?" She had to get a grip on herself. How many times had she been threatened? Too many times to count and so she had to come back to reality and put on a strong face. She took a calming breath and shut her eyes as Damon had her lay on her stomach.

"We have to get this wood out of your back before we heal you, okay?" Damon asked. Damon looked around and saw the Caroline was feeding Matt her blood. He noticed Tyler was awake now. "Mutt," he called over.

Tyler hated Damon for calling him that but he responded instantly. "What do you need me to do?"

"There's wood lodged into Elena's back. This one is the worst," Damon indicated to the six inch piece of wood wedged into the middle of her back. "I need you to pull out the wood quick and fast." Damon waited for Tyler to position himself better as he moved up to Elena's head and held her hand in his.

Before Elena could ask him why he wasn't the one pulling out the wood, Damon silenced her with a finger over her dry mouth. "Hold my hand and squeeze tight. It's going to hurt and then we're going to heal you." Elena looked unsure as she glanced at Tyler briefly. She turned to look at Damon. It wasn't that she didn't trust Tyler, but she expected Damon to do the dirty work. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," she didn't hesitate.

"Squeeze tight." Elena nodded. Damon looked at Tyler and shut his eyes as he felt Elena's hand in his. He nodded his head to indicate to Tyler to start pulling.

It took five minutes, but all the wood was taken out. "Damon?" Elena murmured.

"Yeah?" He looked at her shirt that was nearly completely destroyed against her back. The red standing out defiantly on her white fabric, and Damon knew that moment Elena stood the shirt wouldn't hang on her. He looked around and noticed that he was the only one wearing a jacket. He quickly took it off and placed it around Elena who was shaking.

"I'm cold." She started shaking. "I can't feel my legs anymore."

He ripped into his wrist, unaware that everyone in the room was looking at them now. Matt was now standing against Alaric, Jeremy was holding Bonnie, and Tyler and Caroline stood off to the side. But Damon didn't see one of them because he was too concentrated on the brown eye beauty in front of him. Even in torn clothes, blood strewn all over her, and her heart fading away he still thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world.

"Drink," he instructed with determination.

She looked down at the blood he was offering from his wrist. She had drank Damon's blood twice before, and each time was by force. Once when Stefan and her double crossed Damon and the second was when Damon thought he was losing her to Klaus. If she drank from Damon now, it was by choice. There was no force this time.

Elena trusted Damon and so she simply lowered her lips to his wrist and closed her eyes.

"Okay."

* * *

**Let me know what you think of Alec! He won't be going away so soon...believe me when I say that.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note-Thanks to anyone who is reading. This is definitly a filler chapter. However, there's some Damon and Elena...not smut per say, but Elena comes clean about what she's feeling for Damon...sort of.**

* * *

Alaric opened the door for Damon, Jeremy, and Elena to pass through. Everyone, after the school incident with Alec, decided to call it a night and retreat back to their own homes. Caroline had to fill her mom in on the details so Liz was prepared for the clean up at the school. They also had to come up with a great cover story. Caroline doubted the normal 'animal attack' would suffice for the destruction done to their school.

"So, barbeque?" Jeremy asked to lighten the mood. He was concerned about Elena, she was moving very slow and fragile, and the only thing he could think of doing was making the tension disappear. "I can start the grill."

Before either Alaric or Damon could protest, Elena spoke up. She was leaning against the stairwell, clutching Damon's jacket around her. Even though it was hot outside, their house was cool. "That sounds great Jere. I'm going to go shower and then I'll set the table."

Damon couldn't stand how the Gilberts could so easily pretend that everything was okay. They had a way with dealing with grief that made it look so easy. They pushed through their emotions and took it day by day with simple, normal tasks.

Damon raised his hand mockingly. He wasn't just going to let them be optimistic and naïve. "Does anyone remember blonde, douche bag of a vampire?" Damon's eyes went wide as he looked at Jeremy and Elena specifically. "Because I do! He nearly killed you and now we're going to celebrate with a cook out?"

"I'm with Damon on this one guys," Alaric said. "We don't know anything about this Alec guy and frankly, Elena, you don't look too well." He turned to Damon. "Are you sure you gave her enough blood?"

Damon rolled his eyes but before he could answer, Elena cut in with a stronger tone than she meant. "There's no discussion about it. Jeremy and Alaric will go prepare the meat and I will head upstairs to take a shower, and we will eat as a family promptly at seven. We will act normal, we will go to bed for school tomorrow." Elena held up her hand to stop Damon from interrupting. "And then the group will all meet at the Boarding House to start research on Alec after school. Am I clear?"

Jeremy smiled at his sister's determination. Even though he was scared, although he would never admit it, he knew when his sister made up her mind, there was no changing it. Alaric nodded his head, figuring out that Elena's stubbornness was either a curse or a blessing.

Damon gritted his teeth while searing her with his blue eyes. "Crystal clear, Elena. Whatever you want."

"Okay then," Elena breathed a sigh of relief. She turned her back on the three men and made her way upstairs. She wasn't accustomed to vampire blood in her system. Surprisingly she didn't need it as much as she would have thought with having at least half of her friends as supernatural beings. It was as if she could feel herself healing and repairing herself. It was strange, but yet, a good feeling.

Elena was aware of Damon following her, and instead of pushing him away, she turned towards him, her head bowed at first before she looked back up at him.

"I suppose you want your jacket back. I can wash it for you if you want."

Damon nearly growled with frustration. Did she really think he cared that much about a stupid jacket when her life was nearly taken from her that day? Of course not! "I don't want the jacket Elena."

The way he said her name made Elena flinch, but that was Damon. He was blunt and straight to the point when he was angry.

"You're mad," she stated quietly. "Why?"

He laughed without humor and ran his hand through his hair that was getting longer than what he normally kept it trimmed at. "Are you seriously asking me that? If you don't know the answer by now then you really don't know me one bit."

He looked hurt, angry, and even a little desperate. She couldn't take seeing Damon like this. It was almost like the tomb all over again when he realized Katherine wasn't inside. She could face him then, but seeing him now like this, was too much. Elena turned around and delicately took off the jacket. She laid it on the bed and grabbed her robe.

She looked over her shoulder to see Damon looking down at the ground, his face frozen in a quiet thought that only he knew about. She sighed while turning her back on him again, slowly taking off her shirt and putting her robe on. It was soft against her skin and she smiled in contentment.

"I know you're not an optimist, but we're safe Damon. All of our friends are okay, and there's nothing Alec can do tonight because he hasn't been invited in. Plus, we all drink or wear vervain." Before tying her robe closed, she undid her jean shorts and slid her bottoms down her legs. When she was decent in her robe, she turned to look at Damon who was staring at her speechless.

"What?" Elena asked, swatting at her neck. "Do I still have blood on me? I tried getting it off in the car."

Damon shut his eyes, and shook his head slowly. He wanted to have Elena's optimism, but seeing her torn and battered on the floor of the school was the last straw for him. He made a decision right there and then in her room as he so gallantly looked away when Elena changed into her robe. It took nearly all of his power not to stare at her like a teenage boy. Even though she was facing away from him, he could just imagine what Elena looked and tasted like.

"Elena," he stood and wrapped both of her cheeks in the palms of his hands. He stared into her eyes and she looked truly remarkable as he got closer to her. "I promise you that I will keep you safe."

He didn't mean to make her cry, but tears ran down from her eyes and into his own skin. He softly wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs. "No one will hurt you on my watch, okay?"

Her walls crumbled as Damon declared his oath to her. She was fine a minute before, a little worked up over Alec's threat but she wasn't thinking of him, but now that Damon brought up saving her again, she knew that Damon wouldn't stop until she was truly safe from everyone. The thought frightened and calmed her at the same time.

"I know," Elena whispered. "I trust you."

They were getting close, too close. Elena, in the back of her mind, couldn't believe that she was allowing herself to get this close to Damon in that moment. Her eyes drifted to his soft lips and she squeezed her eyes shut to block out the image of kissing him until she needed to breathe again. But it wasn't Elena who pulled away. It was Damon and this surprised her.

He sighed and moved his hands down from her face to her shoulders. "Go shower and I'll go check on Jeremy and Ric. They probably did something wrong by now."

Elena chuckled softly, knowing Damon was very possessive when cooking was involved.

"Okay." When Damon was nearly out of her room, Elena stopped him one more time. "Damon?"

"Yes Elena?"

"Thank you." Her eyes connected with his. She didn't know if she was thanking him because he pulled away before she leaned up to kiss him or if she was thanking him for saving her for the hundredth time. "Thanks for everything, I guess."

He didn't say anything. He didn't need too. Elena knew he wasn't good with gratitude or kind emotions. He wasn't good at saying sorry or thanking someone. And he definitely wasn't good at accepting anything that resembled appreciation, but she had to say what she was feeling. If she didn't in that moment, then the timing would be lost.

* * *

Caroline was pacing the floor of her bedroom. She had already gotten her book bag ready for school, color coated her schedule, and texted Elena and Bonnie to make sure that they were okay. But now that she didn't have anything to distract herself with, she couldn't keep her mind off of Tyler. The boy was just too much for her and it was smelling his blood on his chest that had her veins nearly popping out of her eyes. She hated to admit it, and even though he only had blood on his chest because he was injured, the smell was intoxicating and she wanted him desperately.

It was the knock on her window that had Caroline spinning around quickly and grabbing a stake from her desk. She was ready to pounce before she saw just the boy she was thinking of. Her breathing slowed as Tyler gave her a goofy grin from outside her window. The blonde rushed to open it and ushered him inside.

Before he could speak, she slapped him on the face. It wasn't a hard slap for a werewolf, but for any human it would have left their face red. Tyler's hand came up to his face, delicately moving his jaw around to ease the sting.

"What the hell?!" He hissed. "That so wasn't the response I was hoping for."

"You IDIOT!" Caroline screeched. "Damon told us not to go outside tonight! Who knows what Alec's up too! He already had your heart in his hand today, so let's not give him another chance for that."

Tyler rolled his eyes, his face already feeling fine. He looked down at Caroline and smiled at just how worked up she looked. Caroline was flustered, her eyes going wide with anger and worry, and she kept jabbing him in the chest with her finger as she spoke. "Damn, you're strong." He joked.

Caroline whirled around and refused to look at him. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. They weren't together, so he didn't deserve her tears...yet.

"Is everything a joke to you? You know how strong this vampire is, right? He knocked me through a fucking wall and nearly killed Elena and Matt! And as much as I hate to admit this, but we really should listen to Damon on this." Finally, after getting her emotions into check, she turned around with a sniffle.

Tyler felt bad, and so he went to Caroline and cupped her face with his rough hands. He felt like fire on her skin and that made something in Caroline's stomach bubble with anticipation. "Car, I know it was dangerous but you live like five minutes from my house, and I just needed to check up on you. I know your mom is probably working and I wanted to be here for you."

"Really?" She whispered.

"Yes." Tyler sighed, letting her go and running a hand over his tired face. It was late and he needed to tell Caroline what had been on his mind lately. If anything, when he saw Caroline being attacked by Alec, that made him realize that their time could be short, and he had to make the most of it.

"Your safety is all I ever think about. When I saw you lying on the ground, plaster covering you, I was furious. I saw red and I thought for a brief moment that my whole body was going to turn into a werewolf. That's how mad I was."

"But it wasn't a full moon." Caroline said stupidly, in a daze.

"I know it wasn't a full moon, but that's seriously how mad I felt. I felt like my bones were being broken over and over again as I saw red that someone hurt you. I realized today that I want to be there with you, to protect you from him. Our friends are magnets for threats and attacks, and if we're in Mystic Falls, then I'm definitely not leaving you to deal with this all by yourself. I couldn't take it if you were hurt again."

"Why are you saying all of this?" She asked. Her heart fluttered at the thought of Tyler being in her room, and her want for him magnified as he told her of his feelings.

"I'm saying all of this because I'm falling for you Caroline Forbes. I want you and I need you to be safe. I want to know that I'm the guy you go to for help and all your needs. I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I want to be your boyfriend."

Tyler didn't get a verbal response because Caroline flew at him and attached her mouth to his. Neither one said another word until they were both satisfied, in her bed.

* * *

"So," Jeremy broke the silence with food in his mouth. Damon rolled his eyes along with Elena at Jeremy's bad habits. "If we're supposed to have a meeting at the Boarding House tomorrow and Damon is supposed to be chasing after Stefan tomorrow, how is he supposed to be in two places at once?"

Damon looked at Elena and raised his eye brows. He wanted Elena to choose. Should he go and find his long lost brother or would she want him to stick around.

Elena chewed on her bottom lip, looking from Alaric to Jeremy and then finally to Damon. It was the end of summer, they hadn't found Stefan, and now they had a new threat to deal with. Could she put Stefan behind her and move on to fighting for her life again? She didn't know.

Before Elena could answer, a brick came flying through their window in the living room, zooming straight for Jeremy's head. It happened so quick that only Damon had a chance to react. Jeremy started to duck, but Damon went into action and sprang for the brick before it could do any damage to Little Gilbert.

"What the hell?" Alaric exclaimed before rushing to the front door and throwing it open. He only saw a black SUV drive off and he cursed under his breath.

Damon yelped as his skin started to crack, peel, and smoke to a nasty red. "It's vervain," Elena said, yanking the brick from Damon's hand. The brick was soaked with vervain. She put the brick down on the table and took Damon's hand to examine it. "Are you okay?"

"Holy shit," Jeremy said in shock. "That thing almost hit me. Who threw that?"

"If we knew then he would already be dead by now," Damon griped out. His hand would heal, he knew that. It was only a little vervain, but he kept letting Elena fuss over his hand, enjoying the way her soft hands soothed him.

"It had to be Alec," Alaric said, coming into the kitchen again. "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah. He should totally be our new quarterback," Jeremy joked.

Elena glared at her younger brother, not finding amusement in the situation. Alec was obviously after her and he almost hurt her brother. That wasn't okay. "Jeremy, now's not the time for joking. You were almost hurt." She watched as Damon's skin healed quickly. She slowly lowered his hand to the table and let go. "You're okay."

Alaric and Jeremy were watching him and Elena too closely and so he brushed them off and indicated to the brick with a piece of paper attached to it. "Will one of you humans read that? I can't touch it obviously."

Alaric ripped the note off of the brick and his eyes went wide in surprise. No one in the room liked the expression on Alaric's face.

"Well?" Damon asked impatiently.

Alaric gulped and then cleared his throat a little. "It's for you Elena. This sick bastard."

"What?" Elena exclaimed. "What does it say?!"

"Out with it Ric," Damon hissed.

"It says: For my dear, sweet Elena,

_I see you when you sleep._  
_It's you I want to keep._  
_The blood that pumps inside_  
_Is hard for me to deny._

_Soon you'll be with me_  
_And then I'll kiss thee._  
_It's me that's meant for you,_  
_And soon you'll know it too._

"

Elena sat in her seat, not moving. It was as if she were in shock, staring at the table with her mouth open in confusion, horror and disgust. How could this vampire, who was twice Klaus's age, be such a sadistic monster, no doubt enjoying the fear that coursed through her?

"Eww," Jeremy finally said.

Elena was afraid to look up into Damon's eyes. She could only imagine how vicious they looked. She knew he had good control over his vampirism, but there was only so much he could take before he snapped. She was hoping Alec wouldn't push Damon to the edge. Elena didn't know if she could handle having both Stefan and Damon over the edge.

"What exactly did Alec say to you today?" Alaric asked, looking right at Elena who was still looking down at the table. "Because he's not going to get away with this."

"I don't want to talk about it," Elena whispered. "And I'm not hungry anymore. I think I'm going to go to bed. It's been a long day."

"Elena," Alaric called out. Elena didn't meet anyone's eyes. She didn't know how she was supposed to accept that this vampire seemed to be attracted to her, and he didn't even know her. All she knew was that he needed her for something and that he seemed like a psycho.

"What, Ric?" Elena asked quietly. She had her back turned towards them.

Alaric knew better than to fish for information from Elena. She looked exhausted and this note was creepy as hell. He could cut her some slack for being closed off from them. "Nevermind, it's not important." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Goodnight."

Elena walked up to her room and prepared herself for bed. It was the same routine every night. Brush her hair, brush her teeth, and change into a tank top and shorts, finally crawling into bed soothed her into a deep slumber. However, when walking out from her bathroom, ready to climb into bed, she froze as she saw Damon sitting in her window seat. It was hard to think that just that morning she awoke to him in that position too.

"What do you want now Damon?" Elena asked. She pulled her covers back and got into her bed, adjusting her pillow so she was comfortable.

Damon stood up, still not saying anything until he sat down on the bed with his back against the headboard. "You still haven't answered Jeremy's question. Do you want me to go tomorrow or do you want me to stay?"

Damon knew that he was going to stay no matter what, but he wanted to hear Elena's opinion. He had to know if she wanted him near her.

Elena opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it. She turned on her side so that she was facing Damon. Her head was level with his chest as he was sitting and she was laying.

"I want Stefan to be safe again. We both need to know that he's okay. So how can I be selfish and ask you to stay when you deserve to go and find your brother?" Elena looked up at Damon finally, her breath being taken away at how close they actually were. This was one of the first times that she didn't actual mind him in her bed.

"Elena, if it was just a simple question, stay or go? What would be your answer?" Damon scooted down on the bed, now laying just like Elena. Their faces were only a couple of inches away from one another and he could smell her mint toothpaste in the air.

Was it that simple? Elena didn't think so, but she decided being honest with Damon was inevitable. He could take her honest answer, just like she could take his honesty. They never held anything back from one another, and so Elena threw aside her apprehension and looked him square in the eye.

"I always want you to stay."

Damon was at a loss for words. He wasn't expecting Elena to be so blunt and open with him. Her words touched him more than he could express, and for a moment, he allowed himself to believe that finally, she was going to give him a chance. Finally, it was his turn to love her completely.

"Having you gone over the summer, even if it was only for two or three days at a time, worried me." Elena took a deep breath, slowing down because she didn't want to mess up what she was trying to explain. "You're something special to me Damon. We have an understanding that no one else can comprehend. You lost your brother and I lost my boyfriend and I don't think I can lose you too. So yes, I worry about you every time you leave and every time I wish that you didn't have to be the one to go out and look for Stefan."

"Elena, you don't have to explain—" Damon wanted her to explain though.

"Yes," she cut him off. "I do. It's not fair to you that I drag you along. I just want you to know that I do care for you. You're my friend, my body guard who annoys me so much, and a part of my dysfunctional family. I don't know how Jeremy, Alaric, and I could have gotten through this summer without you."

Damon smiled cockily. He had to lessen the tension. Not once in his human life had someone shown such kindness to him, and now after one hundred and seventy years, a human girl who he is in love with was spilling her heart out to him.

"I am pretty amazing," he whispered.

Elena giggled before sighing. "I want you to stay. Things are getting too dangerous here, and I don't think I'm ready for you to leave yet."

Damon crinkled his eye brows, trying to process what she was saying. It seemed her thoughts were all over the place.

"If you want to look for Stefan, please go and find your brother, but after today, I've given up hope and now we have other things to deal with. I feel like a quitter, but you made me promise back in May that we had to move on if we didn't find Stefan by the school year. And I don't break promises. Plus, it's time to move on. We have to keep moving forward and not back." She yawned and stretched in bed. "I think I'm falling asleep."

"Okay," Damon said, sitting up to leave.

It was Elena's hand that reached out and latched on to his own. He looked at their hands, Elena gripping him like today in the office.

"Don't go," she requested. She knew how that sounded, and so she clarified. "You don't have to spend the night, but please don't go yet. Just let me fall asleep first?"

Damon readjusted himself so that he was laying on his back. "Sure Elena. I'll stay for a while."

"Thank you."

Damon didn't mean too, but he fell asleep once he heard Elena's breathing even out. It was during the night that Elena curled up into Damon's side and his arm encircled her waist, pulling her closer. They would keep one another safe. They would be each other's shoulders to lean on. They just didn't know how far their relationship would go without someone breaking them apart.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note-This is a long chapter! Break it up into parts if you must when you read it. I love reviews, so tell me what you think. There are some majors events that happen in this chapter.**

* * *

"This is a disaster!" Caroline exclaimed dramatically. If it were any other day than Elena would have tried to calm her friend down, but Caroline kept ranting. "I mean, this is beyond horrible! I can't believe this is happening right now. Only I would get this bad luck."

Bonnie cut in, looking Caroline in the eye with her own soft brown orbs. "Caroline, things could be worse. Everything will work out for the best. Trust me."

Caroline huffed and puffed before crossing her arms and stomping her foot. A few freshmen looked at them and Matt smiled at them with a shrug. He turned back to Caroline and sighed. "It's not a big deal. You can find a fill in by the end of this week."

"Obviously," Caroline said with an eye roll. "Any girl would be lucky if I picked them for my team, but hardly anyone at this school has the mental capacity to actually learn and know the dance by heart come this Friday."

Elena blocked Bonnie, Matt, and Caroline out as they tried to work out the situation. Before her junior year, she would have been freaking out with Caroline. A girl, Cindy, broke her ankle and now Caroline needed someone to become her next cheerleader. However, it was a black haired, blue eyed vampire that occupied Elena's thoughts. She hadn't woken up next to him in the morning, but she at least knew that he was with her at three in the morning when she woke up from a dream.

The dream had consisted of Alec chasing her through her house and when Elena went into Jeremy's room to hide, she found her only family member left drained of blood. That had made Elena scream out in her dream before she ripped her eyes open violently, her chest raising and falling heavily. If Damon had noticed her then he didn't show it as she had looked up into his flawless face.

His eyes had been closed and his arms were wrapped around her. If Elena wanted to move, she couldn't because his arms made it nearly impossible. And so, she pulled the covers up over her body and went back to sleep, breathing in Damon's scent, unconsciously thinking it must have been uncomfortable for him to sleep in tight jeans and an even tighter shirt that fit his toned body well.

She was almost certain he was asleep because surely he would have said something, but when Damon tightened his arms and his hand gripped onto hers without a sound, Elena smiled. He was awake and he respected her space. He knew that if she wanted to talk then she would have woken him. And when it was six in the morning, Elena opened her eyes, being prepared to answer questions from Damon, but she was thoroughly surprised that she found his half of the bed empty. She ignored the feeling of abandonment and prepared for school.

"Elena?" Caroline demanded. "Elena, you aren't even listening. You're not being a best friend right now."

Elena shook herself out of 'Damon' thoughts and moved onto Caroline's problems. She had problems of her own, but that morning, Jeremy, Alaric, and she decided it was best not to tell anyone about Alec until after school at the Boarding House.

"Sorry, I spaced out a little." Elena cleared her throat and looked at her three friends who were all looking at her with funny faces. "What?"

"Nothing," Bonnie finally said. "It's just you seem really out of it. Are you okay? I mean, with all the Alec stuff and then Stefan and all?"

Elena put on a brave face and smiled. "I promised Damon a while ago that I would stop looking for Stefan when school started. I can't waste my whole life searching for him. If he wants to come home then he knows where Mystic Falls is."

Caroline's mouth literally dropped open, Bonnie looked shocked, and Matt smiled. "What?!" The blonde exclaimed with slight anger and stun. "How can you say that? He's your true love and you're just giving up?"

Elena ran her hand through her hair, not wanting to talk to Caroline about Stefan when it was just too complicated. "I don't know Caroline. Okay? I promised Damon and it's time that I start to move on. It's not fair for me to get stuck in the past."

"I think that's great," Matt said with a genuine smile. "I like Stefan, but—" He was cut off by the bell.

"We're going to be late on the first day!" Bonnie said, grabbing onto Caroline, pulling her to trigonometry. "See you two at lunch."

Elena laughed as it was ironic that Bonnie was making Caroline move fast when the blonde had vampire speed to her advantage.

"Ready for College Math?" Matt asked with a grin. He put his arm around Elena in a friendly way as kids surrounding them hustled to class. Elena and Matt were in a more advanced math class that could potentially earn them college credit their senior year of high school.

Elena sighed dramatically. "I guess so. Can't we just skip already?"

"I wish," Matt muttered.

Before they reached their destination, Elena stopped Matt outside the classroom. "Hey Matt? What were you saying back there before the bell rang?"

Matt had an internal battle with himself and then finally decided to tell Elena the truth. "I was going to say that I have never seen you smile as much as you do when you're with Damon."

Before Elena could say anything, the teacher called the class to attention before starting the mandatory first day of class lecture.

* * *

Damon and Liz tried their hardest to inform Carol about everything going on in Mystic Falls, and they found that telling Carol the truth was harder than hiding everything from her like over the summer. Damon rolled his eyes as the Mayor of their town rushed to her alcohol bar to pour her a soothing drink.

She wasn't handling the news well and Damon had to wonder just how much Tyler actually told his mom. Didn't she ever question where he went every month? Why he probably came home with a new set of clothes along with his old clothes ripped and torn? She really needed to pay a little bit more attention, but Damon wasn't going to say anything about that. He was no parent and so he wasn't one to judge that much.

Liz looked at Damon with a worried expression. Her and Carol weren't the friendliest towards each other, but they got along fairly well. They hadn't even begun to explain werewolves when there was a knock on the door. Damon knew the interrupter was human, he could hear the heartbeat.

Before Carol could invite the mystery person in, Bill Forbes burst through the door. Damon had never seen Bill, but it was easy to identify him when Liz whispered his name in shock. He knew well enough that Caroline's dad hardly came to Mystic Falls anymore.

"What are you doing here Bill?" Liz asked. "After everything that's happened, you just come bursting through the Mayor's door?"

"I called him," Carol said sheepishly. Now that she had her drink in hand she was able to think more clearly.

"You did that because?" Damon asked skeptically. The man was built and heavy. Damon knew he could take Bill and so he wasn't a threat, but the man sure looked pissed and blank faced at the same time.

Carol took a calming breath and fanned herself off from the heat. "I thought you and Liz were keeping something from me. I wasn't expecting you two to come clean with _everything_ that's been going on." She turned towards Bill. "Bill, I'm sorry for bothering you. I was wrong to call you so frantically."

Bill didn't take his narrowed eyes off of Damon. The vampire noticed the stake Bill was holding at his side. He rolled his eyes cockily and smirked. "If you think that stake is going to kill me, you'll have a difficult time trying to get it into my heart," Damon mocked.

"Carol," Liz asked in dismay. "What did you do? Why didn't you just ask us what was going on?"

Damon rolled his eyes, looking at his watch to see that he was going to be late and he promised Alaric that he would meet him for lunch at the grill. It also eased Damon's mind that he was able to ask Alaric about Elena and her safety since Alaric got to see her at school and Damon didn't.

"As fun as this all is," Damon said lazily. "I'm going to go. I've got a date to attend, and I _so_ don't do family reunions."

When he started to walk towards the door, it was in that moment Bill Forbes raised his hand and harshly tried to stab Damon with a shot of vervain. Damon was too quick and grabbed his hand with his own left hand and Damon's right hand went for Bill's throat. He lifted the man as if he weighted nothing, the black veins appearing on his face. Both women gasped in shock as Damon made Bill drop the vervain on the ground.

"Out of respect for Caroline and Liz, I will not kill you. But if you ever, and I mean _ever_, try to do that again, I will rip your throat out. Am I clear?" Damon hissed, showing his fangs. He was being nice, and he knew it, but he also didn't feel like cleaning up after a dead body that day.

Bill nodded his head, his breathing slowing down. Damon smiled, his face going back to his normal self. "Good." He put Bill down and took his hands away. He turned to Liz and Carol who was white as a ghost. "It was a pleasure ladies. I'm looking forward to our next council meeting."

Damon walked out of the mansion and headed towards his car. He was pleased with himself. He could have killed Bill fucking Forbes, but he didn't. Elena would be pleased herself when he told her. She didn't like him killing, and hopefully this would show her the side of him that wasn't such a monster.

"You're getting to be too kind, brother."

Damon stopped dead in his tracks. How could he have missed Stefan? He was leaning so casually against his car and Damon had missed him. He was too absorbed thinking about Elena that he didn't notice his lost brother wearing a stupid little smirk on his face. The ripper definitely was back in Mystic Falls.

"Hello brother," Damon said smoothly. He squared off with Stefan, checking silently with his ears to see if Klaus's heartbeat was looming around. Klaus was nowhere to be found. It was just him and Stefan. "Run out of bodies in Tennessee to eat? Are you going to clear out Virginia next?" Damon taunted.

Stefan didn't even blink as Damon referenced his ripping. His brother, the saint, was nowhere to be found in this vampire standing before him.

"Something big is coming Damon." Stefan warned. "Klaus has a witch and there's great energy in Mystic Falls."

Damon shrugged. It was strange that Stefan came to warn him. Maybe his brother was still somewhere in this non-living corpse after all.

"Yeah, we got the memo yesterday." He narrowed his eyes. "When your girlfriend was threatened to be sucked dry sometime in the future and to make things worse, this Alec guy seems to be obsessed with her."

Stefan shrugged. Nothing in his eyes said that he cared about Elena anymore. "It's not my problem. She's not my girlfriend anymore. I made that clear when I didn't come back this summer."

"But you're here now. Why?" Damon asked. "And don't give me bull shit about warning me about some energy. We both know that deep down you still are in love with Elena."

"I'm here because Klaus wanted to come back. He's interested in this energy. I don't know what it is. The witch wasn't clear, and if it's this Alec vampire, then he's not my problem anymore." Stefan approached Damon with a gleam in his eye. "She's not my problem anymore. She can be your burden."

Damon threw back his hand and punched his brother in the jaw. He heard and felt the small bones crack and break when his fist made contact. All the people blood Stefan was drinking still made him no match for Damon. Stefan looked back at his brother, a small trickle of blood running down from his mouth.

Before Stefan could retaliate, Damon had him pinned to the ground, his good hand around his younger brother's throat. He growled, knowing that deep down, his brother was still there. Stefan would never stop caring about Elena and Damon knew that, but right now he was being a prick and Damon wasn't in the mood to deal with his brother's attitude.

"Where's Klaus now?" Damon hissed.

"He's at the grill, waiting for you. I was supposed to come and get you."

"Ah," Damon mocked. "You're his bitch now?"

Stefan pushed Damon off of him. He only was able to move Damon because Damon eased up on his grip. They were both standing now, both on edge around one another.

"If you go after Elena, I'll kill you." Damon warned Stefan, although they both knew that Damon wouldn't' follow through with his threat. Although he could spend all of his eternity making Stefan's life a living hell.

Stefan's face faltered for a minute before his cruel smile adorned his face once again. "Just get to the grill. There's no need to bring Elena into this."

Damon begrudgingly allowed Stefan to ride with him to the grill. They weren't ones for small talk and so they didn't say one word to each other. Damon had all sorts of questions flying through his mind, but he wouldn't be the first one to crack. He would allow Stefan to be the first one to say something.

When the brothers walked inside, Damon automatically spotted Alaric at a booth with Klaus. That wasn't their usual spot at the bar and so Damon figured Klaus was dragging Alaric into this little meeting as well.

"Cut to the chase," Damon said smoothly, sliding into the booth alongside Alaric. "What do you want Klaus? Another doppelganger to drain?"

Damon didn't miss the slight wince on Stefan's face as Damon brought up the image of Elena's drained, dead body. He knew that his brother was somewhere inside this cold vampires body, and Damon knew Elena would be the savior of his brother.

Klaus smiled and folded his hands on the table. Stefan sat next to Klaus and straight across from Damon. "Damon, it's always a pleasure." Klaus's eyes mocked the older Salvatore. "And why don't you cut to the chase and explain to me why the said doppelganger is still alive. She's quite potent on your jacket." Klaus looked at Stefan with raised eye brows. "She smells delicious. Almost good enough to eat again."

Damon growled as Alaric cut in, not wanting Damon to get his ass kicked at the local bar and grill. "Cool it Damon. If he wanted to kill Elena he would have gone to her first. Instead, he has something to talk to us about."

Klaus nodded his head when he was sure Damon wasn't going to speak. "I have a witch who tells me there's—"

"Yeah," Damon cut him off harshly. "I know, there's great energy here. I have already been informed of this."

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "I'm risking my life to tell you because as much as it pains me to say, I want to help you and your little high school group."

Damon rolled his eyes. "I'm supposed to trust you? After you kill Elena's aunt, and then you _kill_ Elena, and then run off with my brother who looks like he can't control himself to save his life?!"

"Hmm," Klaus sighed dramatically. "That doesn't really make me sound good, but I was never one for great reputations." He started to stand. "But if you really don't want my help then I guess I can leave?"

"Wait," Alaric said, ignoring the pointed look Damon was giving him. Klaus stopped and sat down again. "I hate you. I want you to know that, but we might need your help. What do you know?"

"You see," Klaus said with a smirk. "That's the problem. I don't know anything. All I know is that the bloody witch said that this energy could kill me. I'm here to save myself and then leave again."

Damon raised his eye brows. Killing Klaus didn't sound like a bad idea. "So you know nothing at all?"

"No," Klaus agreed, "But I'm willing to help and I'm willing to return Stefan. He's a hazard anyway. Not much fun either, even as the ripper." Klaus extended his hand. "Do we have a deal?"

Damon and Alaric looked at each other. Klaus was probably the one person Damon hated more than Stefan at the moment, but having a hybrid on their side couldn't hurt for now. If anything, Klaus may come in handy if they ever needed super strength when Alec strikes next.

Damon bit out through clenched teeth, shaking Klaus's hand with a vice like grip. "Deal, but under one condition."

Klaus didn't like to negotiate, but he was willing to humor Damon for a few more minutes. "And what could you possibly want from me?"

"I want you to stop compelling my brother. If you're setting him free, then reverse your compulsion." Damon wasn't playing games with Klaus. Stefan deserved to be free. His brother saved his life when he was bit by Tyler Lockwood, and now Damon was repaying him by having the compulsion removed.

"What compulsion?" Klaus asked. Damon looked at Stefan who slightly bowed his head. This whole summer, Damon and everyone thought Stefan had to be under Klaus's compulsion because that could be the only sane reason on why Stefan didn't try to get into contact with anyone. What else could have stopped Stefan from at least trying to get back to Mystic Falls? "He's been under his own free will the whole time."

"No," Alaric whispered, shock and horror all wrapped up in his one word.

Klaus smiled wickedly. "Oh yes. There was no compulsion needed when he ripped through town after town. He became quite the mess while on the road. So much that he's become more of a liability to me than helpful."

Damon wanted to rip Stefan apart. How could his brother do that? Just up and leave and then not say one word to anyone for a whole fucking summer?! And then Damon saw the truth in Stefan's eyes. He saw the shame, humiliation, and hurt for a brief second. His brother wasn't lost, but he sure as hell wasn't home either.

* * *

Elena tried to pay attention to Alaric, but it was very difficult when it was her last class of the day and she knew that soon enough she would have to reveal to her friends the creepy obsession Alec had with her. She didn't know how they would react, but it was making her anxious. But she sensed something else was wrong. Alaric kept looking at her with worried eyes. She wished she could just go up to him and ask him what was wrong, but then the whole class would see her and that would just be too hard to explain.

Finally, the bell rang and kids started packing up their stuff. Caroline turned to Elena as they, Bonnie, Matt, and Tyler all stayed in the room. Alaric was at his desk, packing up his papers too.

"Please Elena," Caroline pleaded. "I'm desperate and you're the only one who can make this right."

Elena rolled her eyes at Caroline and how desperate she looked. Her best friend was too good at making her feel bad. "Car, you know I would do anything for you…but not this. I quit cheerleading, remember?"

"It's just for one week. And if you don't like it, then I'll keep looking for someone and I'll never ask you again." Caroline grabbed onto Elena's hand. "Please? I won't ask you for anything else…at least for a day anyways."

Elena looked at Caroline who was pleading with her through her eyes. She looked like she was almost about to cry, even though Elena knew Caroline was so good at playing the damsel in distress. She sighed, before reluctantly nodding. "Fine," she breathed out. "I'll do it."

Caroline squealed before hugging her. All their friends looked amused. "Okay," the blonde said in a rush. "I'm going to go get your old uniform, bring it to the boarding house and we'll see if it still fits. Tyler, you can come with me," Caroline informed before she dragged him away. Tyler just shrugged as he allowed Caroline to handle him. There was something about them that Elena caught and she had to wonder if they were finally together yet. There had been too many flirty eyes and touchy feely going on throughout the school day between them.

"She's crazy," Bonnie said jokingly. She knew Caroline could still hear her.

"You guys ready? Anyone need a ride?" Alaric asked like a guardian would.

"I have my truck. I have to go to a football meeting first though," Matt said. "I'll be a little late."

"And Jeremy is bringing me," Bonnie said before looking at Alaric and Elena with a blush. "Is that weird? That I'm getting a ride with your younger brother? It sounds kind of weird."

Elena laughed. She was glad Bonnie and Jeremy were getting closer. She knew that after Bonnie brought him back from the dead that something was bound to happen between her and Jeremy. It was only a matter of time.

"Go," Elena said. "Have fun." Elena thought for a second before correcting herself. "But not too much fun."

Matt and Bonnie both left, leaving just Alaric and Elena in the room. "Elena," Alaric started to say. Should he tell her about Stefan returning? He was practically living with her now. How could he hide something like this from her? But another part of him knew that maybe Damon would be the better man at telling Elena.

"Yeah Ric?" She asked. No one else was around so she didn't have to call him Mr. Saltzman.

Alaric sighed and knew that she wasn't going to see Damon before heading over to the boarding house. He didn't want her to go to their meeting and see Stefan like that without knowing he was back.

"I'm just going to come out and say it, okay?"

Elena nodded. "You're scaring me a little. Is everything okay? Damon…" Elena trailed off in a question.

"No," Alaric reassured. "It's not Damon…it's Stefan."

"What about him?"

"He's back…with Klaus."

It felt as if Elena's whole body went into shock. Stefan was back? He was here in Mystic Falls for God knows how long and he was still with Klaus. And now he was back. Elena had so many questions running through her head. Would Klaus allow Stefan to be free? How many people had he killed? Was he still the ripper? Did he give up hope? Did he still love her? Was there a chance he hated her and Damon for letting him go?

All Elena did was nod her head to process all the emotions going through her. It almost felt like too much. She started her day out wanting and needing to talk to Damon about the night they shared holding each other, and now she's ending it needing to know if Stefan was safe and okay. But yet, the thought of Damon never left her mind. How was he handling Stefan being back? Did he even know his brother was in town? And now Elena was back to wanting to talk to both Salvatore brothers.

"Elena?" Alaric asked. He put a hand on her shoulder, shaking her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?" He asked with concern.

She nodded her head. "No," she swallowed and then put on a smile. "But I'll be fine after I see him." The only problem was that she didn't know if she meant Stefan or Damon. "Let's get going. I don't want Caroline to beat us back to the boarding house and then scold me for being late. I have a cheerleading fitting to get to."

Alaric nodded. He knew Damon would talk to Elena and he would fix her. Alaric found that he was able to relate more to Jeremy than Elena and for once he was glad he never had a daughter because he would suck at being her father. After all, he just expects a one hundred and seventy year old vampire to take care of her.

They made their way down the halls, the school already empty due to sport practices outside and kids just wanting to get as far away from school as possible. But when Mrs. Floor came out of the nurses office she stopped Elena.

"Elena," the school nurse said with a smile. "I needed to find you."

Elena looked at Alaric, but smiled nonetheless at the nurse. She always liked Mrs. Floor. "Hi Mrs. Floor. How are you?"

The old nurse, with graying hair and bright red lipstick smiled widely at her. It was as if Mrs. Floor didn't even see Alaric standing slightly behind Elena. "I'm just wonderful dear. I had one of your friends visit me today."

Elena was really puzzled now. "On the first day of school? Who was it?"

Mrs. Floor wore the classic nurse's outfit. Elena found it odd that she was wearing her white nursing jacket too during the hot afternoon. Usually she only wore it during the colder months.

"He said his name was Alec. He seems very special, Elena."

Elena's heart dropped and she heard Alaric suck in a breath.

"What did he say?" She asked Mrs. Floor in a rush. She took a step forward, gripping onto the woman's arm. She knew now that Mrs. Floor was compelled. Elena should have noticed sooner as she saw just how dazed their nurse really did look and sound. "When was he here? Is he still around? Did he hurt you?"

"Of course not dear," Mrs. Floor said. "But he did have a message for you."

"What is it?" Elena asked desperately. He was in her school now too? First her school, then her home, and now her school again? It had only been twenty-four hours of knowing him and he was already starting to piss her off, annoy her, and scare her all at the same time.

Neither Alaric nor Elena saw the wooden stake Mrs. Floor was hiding in her jacket. But Elena sure felt it as the wood sliced through her skin, right above her belly button. She gasped in pain and when her knees started to give out on her from the sting, she fell into Mrs. Floor's arm. The old women caught her as Alaric yanked Elena to him, the stake still prominent in her body, hanging halfway in and halfway out.

Mrs. Floor spoke clearly and evenly. She didn't even comprehend that she just staked a human girl.

"Alec said to stay away from Damon Salvatore, and if you don't, then next time the stake will go through Damon's heart."

"Are you crazy?" Alaric shouted at her as Elena fell to his feet, the pain too much and blood leaking from her wound. Both Elena and Alaric watched in agony as Mrs. Floor looked at them in a daze before dropping the stake and walking off as if nothing happened at all.

* * *

When Matt walked into the Boarding house, not bothering knocking he was surprised that he didn't see Alaric's nor Elena's cars in the massive driveway. Neither SUV was in sight, but he thought nothing of it. The only thing on Matt's mind was football and how ready he was for the season. He needed a distraction from Caroline, supernatural beings, and school. Football was his thing and it was time to actually get serious about it. College scouts would be at the games for him and he had to make a great impression.

He walked straight to the dining room that had a table as big as his kitchen in it. It could easily fit a whole board room, but instead only Caroline, Tyler, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Klaus were present.

"What the hell?" Matt muttered. He had hardly ever seen Klaus up close, only on occasion when he used to come to the grill for a drink, but Matt knew enough to know that Klaus was a threat. And slowly, Matt started to place everything together. If Klaus was sitting at the table, waiting to hear the debriefing about Alec, then that meant Stefan must have been close by. "Stefan?"

Caroline looked at him sadly, a worried look coating her delicate face. "He's upstairs with Damon. I can hear everything."

"Yes," Klaus agreed with a small smirk. "They are taking forever, but then again, we are missing the guest of honor, aren't we?"

Soon, Matt took a seat next to Jeremy, glaring at Klaus as he sat directly across from him. It wasn't long after when everyone could hear Damon and Stefan walking down the stairs to start the meeting. But where were Elena and Alaric? Everyone was starting to get a worried look when no one else came bustling through the front door.

"So you weren't compelled at all?" Damon asked in a mocking way, walking down the stairs before Stefan. "I'm so shocked. And here I spent all of my precious summer searching for you, brother."

Stefan rolled his eyes, "Don't act like this wasn't the best summer of your life. You finally got the girl I see. I can smell her all over this house…all over you and your room and your clothes." Stefan smirked, but it soon fell as he noticed everyone sitting at the table in the dining room. He raised his eye brows at Damon. Was he ready to face all of his old friends again? Definitely not. "Were you going to tell me we were having a party tonight Damon?"

"Oops," Damon let slip with a smile that normally would have sent chills up Stefan's back. "Surprise! This is your welcome home party."

"Don't be an ass, Damon," Caroline said. "And where's Elena? We were supposed to be done with this stupid meeting and then she was going to try on her old uniform. We have to practice you know."

Damon let his mind wander to Elena wearing her perky little uniform. He had seen her in pictures wearing it, and she looked damn fine, but before Damon could linger on the thought anymore the front door was pushed open with a very faint looking Elena leaning on Alaric's shoulder.

"What happened?" Jeremy asked right away, standing up in his seat.

Damon could smell the blood from where he was standing, rushing to her side instantly. Stefan could also smell the blood, and his hand gripped the banister to the staircase, nearly splitting the wood trying to make sure his bloodlust was under control.

"Oh my god," Caroline said. "Do you smell that?" She asked Tyler. He nodded.

"I could smell that a mile away. I didn't know it was her though."

"Smell what?" Matt asked.

"Blood," Bonnie answered, although she couldn't smell it either.

"It's fine. I'm fine," Elena reassured everyone, not taking her eyes off of Damon. He was right in front of her, transferring her weight from Alaric to himself. He would support her, he always would.

Damon opened his mouth to speak, but Elena gave him a stern look that said _we'll talk about it later_. He knew that look very well and only he knew what that look meant. They were nearly perfect at communicating with silent looks.

"We had a run in with Mrs. Floor," Alaric explained. "She was compelled."

As Damon moved out of Elena's way to help her walk to the dining room, her feet stopped moving. In the aftermath of Alaric cleaning up her wound and him wrapping gauge around her stomach to patch her up, she had not thought about Stefan returning once. But seeing him at the bottom of the stairs made her heart rate speed up. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"Stefan," she breathed out. He looked stronger, more defined, and less in control. Standing from the door she could see the veins appear under his eyes. She took pity on him, knowing that it was Klaus's fault for Stefan being like this. "Oh Stefan," she sighed. Only the vampires in the room could hear her.

"Elena, I…" He trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut in the brooding fashion he has nailed down to perfection. His veins disappeared but the pain in his eyes stayed. "You're bleeding."

"No shit," Damon cut in with no sympathy for the moment whatsoever. "And she also has brown hair. Anything else you want to state?"

"Yes, well I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with Damon on this one. I have places to be and people to see, so can we get this show on the road?" Klaus said with a twist of his lips.

Damon tenderly put his hand on Elena's back, feeling the wrapping Alaric put around her through her thin shirt. Stefan saw the way Elena responded to Damon touching her, feeling her as if it was the most natural thing in the world and so he turned and silently walked to the table that no one greeted him at. He did see Caroline try to offer him a smile, but he could really only focus on Jeremy Gilbert glaring him down like he was the plague or the worst person on the planet.

"This is going to be quick and then you and I are going to have a nice little chat by ourselves," Damon whispered to Elena.

She nodded, knowing their talk was long overdue. "Okay."

Elena took the empty seat next to her brother, easing down into the chair as if it were the most painful thing to do. Her stomach was bleeding, however, she knew that she still had some of Damon's blood in her system from the day before, and so she was healing slowly. She would probably need more to speed up the process though.

Alaric and Damon took over the meeting as no one Elena's age dared to speak. Stefan hardly said a word, the only indication that he was listening was when he asked one question. Klaus was the only one throwing questions out left and right and it soon occurred to Elena that they really knew nothing about anyone who was older than Klaus. Of course, Klaus had some knowledge, but he didn't have a lot either.

It was going on dinner time when everyone in the room could hear Jeremy's stomach growl. Everyone looked at him and he just simply shrugged his shoulders. "What? I'm hungry."

"It is getting late," Alaric agreed. "We don't really have much to go on except that Alec is ruthless and has a death wish against Damon."

"Can I help with the death wish?" Klaus asked with joy sparkling across his eyes.

"Ugh," Caroline exclaimed. She didn't even like Damon that much but Klaus's comments were upsetting her. "I need a blood bag. My teeth ache."

Stefan's hand on the table turned white, his control starting to become an issue. Caroline realized what she brought up and instantly felt ashamed. "I'm sorry Stefan."

"Don't be," he said coolly. "I'm fine."

Damon rolled his eyes. He didn't need Stefan deceiving everyone at the table. They already had enough problems to deal with and they didn't need Stefan lying to everyone about just how _fine_ he is only to end up having Stefan hurt someone in the end.

"Stop pretending. He's not fine. He needs blood," Damon stated bluntly. "Blondie and Mutt, go with Stefan to the cellar and make sure he doesn't drain _all_ the blood bags. There are other vampires in the house that need to eat too and I just made a blood run the other day."

"No," Stefan said, his veins appearing on his face. Elena's blood was too strong. It was overpowering him. Why didn't someone just heal her already?! Although, her wound was healing at a very slow rate, but yet, it was still too fast to be human. Had his suspicious become true? Did she really have Damon's blood in her system? "I'm not drinking human blood anymore."

"Is that safe?" Bonnie asked. "I don't condone drinking from the vein, but should you just stop altogether? No waning off of it?"

Stefan was on thin ice. His temper was getting the better of him. It was as if he could only focus on one thing while a million little voices and feelings flooded him. Elena's blood was in the air. Bonnie was asking him questions. His hand was gripping the table too hard. He had to make his veins go away. He could picture Damon's smirk in his head, taunting him because he can't handle human blood. He is the ripper. Matt was so close, but then again, Jeremy had his guard down. Which one would taste better?

"Come on Stefan," Caroline said slowly, as if she were talking to a ticking time bomb. "Let's go downstairs. We can talk if you want. I can even heat the blood up for you."

"I said," he grunted out, looking down and away from everyone who were staring at him. He was slipping fast into his Ripper stage, the urge too strong. Blood. Red, hot blood could be in his mouth within a second if he chose to strike at Matt's neck. "No."

"You need to eat something," Klaus said. "We still have that lovely brunette in the trunk of my car. I believe you left some of her blood in her body."

"He said no!" Elena yelled. Everyone turned to look at her, even Stefan. She squared her chin and crossed her arms over her chest. "If he doesn't want human blood then don't pressure him."

Damon couldn't pretend that Elena wasn't sticking up for his brother. Of course she would. She always would choose Stefan, and Damon felt stupid for even thinking for a second that things would finally change between him and Elena. He was dead wrong as he saw the love float through Stefan's eyes at Elena's words.

"I should go hunting," Stefan spoke quietly. "Not for people, but for animals."

Elena smiled at him. He might be back, but there was no mistaking the forlorn look in his eyes or the black veins that randomly took over his face whenever things got too intense in the group. But he was making an effort to be the Stefan that Elena remembers, and that meant more to her than words could express.

"You shouldn't be alone, Stefan," Elena spoke as if they were the only two in the room. "Someone should go with you."

Months ago, Elena would have offered herself to go with Stefan, but she had different matters to attend too. Her talk with Damon could only wait so long before she lost the courage to tell him the truth pertaining to her feelings.

"I can go," Caroline volunteered. "It's no big deal."

The group started to disperse, promising to actually start research on Alec King the next day after all school activities were over. Jeremy wanted pizza to be present, Caroline promised to really help if she and Elena could take a thirty minute break to practice the cheerleading routine, and Bonnie promised to bring all her witchy books. Somehow, throughout all of their battles, the group was working as one finally. Hope settled in some as they saw how everyone was getting along in their own weird way. Even Klaus was participating in witty banter with Tyler and Caroline.

When everyone was gone except Alaric, Damon, and Elena it was silent. Alaric cleared his throat, knowing that sooner rather than later Damon was going to force Elena to drink his blood to heal her fully. It was only a matter of whether Damon was going to wait until after their conversation or just skip to the point.

"I think I'm going to head home, start cooking a hallways decent meal for you guys for once," Alaric said even though Elena knew that not her, Alaric, or Jeremy were much of cooks in the house. "You okay for a ride, Elena?"

"I'll bring her home safe and sound," Damon said before going to his home bar and pouring himself a glass of bourbon. It was easy to distract himself from Elena's wound when discussing Alec, but when no one was talking all Damon could smell was her blood. He was in control of his bloodlust, but it made him furious that Elena was hurt yet again by Alec.

Elena nodded at Alaric before he left, leaving Damon and Elena alone. She mentally prepared herself for whatever was to come. She didn't know how she wanted to start the conversation with Damon, but she knew what she felt, and she wasn't going to walk away until he heard her.

"Damon, I am—"

He cut her off. "I don't want to hear it Elena. I get it, okay?"

"Get what?" Elena whispered, standing up delicately. "I don't understand. Are you mad?"

"No," Damon looked at something in disgust, as if Elena's question disturbed and amused him. "I'm not mad. Why would I be mad that Stefan's home? That was our goal after all. Wasn't it?"

"Of course it was, Damon," Elena said walking towards him. She watched him fill his cup again before drinking it in one large gulp. She winced as she could already smell the distinct smell of bourbon radiating from him. "And he's back and he's going to get better. I promise you."

"You saw him at the table, didn't you? Or what about when you came into the house and all vampires within a five miles radius could smell your blood? He nearly lost control!"

"But he didn't," Elena persisted. She didn't know how they got to talking about Stefan when all Elena wanted to do was talk about the previous night they shared with innocent touches and cuddling, but then again, it wasn't innocent to Elena. It meant something. She just didn't know what. "Can we not talk about this right now?"

"Right," Damon said with a bitter tone. "Let's jump to the point. Here," he offered her his wrist. "You need vampire blood to heal you quicker. Take it."

Elena pushed his arm down and Damon looked surprised for a quick second. "What is the matter with you?" Elena hissed. "Why are you doing this? Just talk to me Damon."

"You have the wrong brother if you want to talk. Remember?" Damon scoffed at Elena, blocking out the pain and worry in her big brown eyes. Why did she have to have such big, brown eyes that he could lost in all day? "I don't talk. I act. I do horrible things and I say mean words."

Elena's fury was starting to get the best of her. It was so easy to get mad at Damon because she knew he could handle her harsh words, but at the same time, it was so easy to fall for him and the way his eyes showed all the emotions he needed.

"So was it all just an act last night, huh?" Elena poked him in the chest with her finger, knowing it probably wouldn't do anything against him, but it made her feel better. "You just decided to act nice and take care of me? And then just ditch me in the morning without as much as a word?" He didn't say anything and that made Elena even angrier. His eyes showed what he was feeling though. He was staring at her in wonder and astonishment. She shoved him in the chest again with both her hands, finding it felt good releasing her anger. "Answer me God damn it!" She pushed him again for good measure.

"Take it easy," Damon soothed, grabbing her hands before she could hit him again. He loved to get her riled up because he found it brought out some of her best qualities of feistiness. "Hey," he lightly scolded when she wouldn't look him in the eye. "You really want to hash up last night? Because I figured with Stefan back—"

"He's not here right now, is he?" Elena threw back at Damon before he could even finish his sentence. How could he think like that, Elena wondered? But she knew deep down that she was the reason for Damon's insecurities. She had told him that it would always be Stefan. She was supposed to be in love with Stefan, but she wasn't. Not anymore. She didn't know if she was in love with Damon either though.

"He'll be back in a few hours though."

"Doesn't matter," Elena said right away, not looking away from Damon. She relaxed as she felt Damon's thumb soothing circles around her closed fists still. "Last night meant…" she trailed off, trying to find the perfect words to describe the way his arms felt around her, the feeling of security that jolts through her body every time he touches her. "It meant a lot to me, Damon. In fact, this whole summer has meant so much to me."

"I get it Elena," Damon said softly. He was starting to lean into her, feeling her body incline to his. The smell of vanilla and strawberries wafted through his nose and if they could only get a little bit closer than he would be so close to actually tasting her strawberry lip gloss that made her mouth so moist and delicious looking.

She believed him. Elena knows Damon is in love with her and it hurt knowing that she wasn't ready to say the words back to him, but she firmly believed that Damon truly meant what he said. He did understand her feelings without her having to say them. That's how in tune he was with her feelings and thoughts. But she had to tell him. She had to say the words or else they would forever be stuck inside of her mind.

"At the school," Elena whispered, "I was scared Damon. Not for my life, but for yours. I don't think Alec is going to stop until he gets what he wants. He's just like all the other supernatural beings we've faced within the last year. He won't stop." Elena didn't mean to, but she gripped onto Damon's hands tighter. He was still holding her hands and their faces were mere inches away from one another.

All Damon could see on Elena's face was raw emotion. Tears pricked her eyes, and he hated himself for letting her feel like this, especially since she was practically crying in his arms because she was scared for his life.

"Elena," Damon whispered back. For the first time in a while Damon didn't know how to act, and so he let his body take over. If his hands wanted to cup Elena's delicate face, then he would let them. If he wanted to draw her closer, he was going to do that too.

"I do not want you worrying about me. I'll be fine." His thumb swiped away one of the fallen tears that leaked down from her eyes.

When Elena was sure that she wasn't going to cry any further, she took a steadying breath and looked up at the vampire she was slowly, but surely, falling for. "I can't lose anyone else Damon. I refuse to lose someone over stupid, jealous vampires."

Damon chuckled at Elena's choice of words. Only she could sound so serious saying the phrase _stupid, jealous vampires_. And when he chuckled, she cracked a smile too, a light blush coating her face.

"There's the smile that I love so much," he congratulated, softly letting his thumb graze the side of her lips.

She couldn't stop the gentle smile from staying on her face. "Why are you laughing? It's true, right?" Elena asked. "He does have a reason to be jealous, doesn't he?"

Damon looked puzzled for a minute before his eyes widened ever so slowly. Elena's implications settling in and all of a sudden he felt like he wasn't holding her enough, he needed to touch her, skin to skin. Cupping her face didn't suffice. He needed to have her heart to heart with no space between them.

"He doesn't get to hold me like this. I would never break Sheriff Forbes glass windows to try to find him if he got bit by a werewolf bite. I would never go to Georgia with him. I could never let him into my house." Damon cracked a smile; he could picture Elena breaking Liz's windows to try to find him. "And I would never let myself fall for him, like the way I'm falling for you right now."

Before Damon could respond, shattering of glass broke their silence. Damon covered Elena from the explosive glass, but he felt something shred into his back, injecting him with the one thing all vampire hate: vervain.

"Run, Elena." He grunted out before his eyes shut and he fell into unconsciousness. His dead weight brought Elena down with him and she let out a cry of pain as her stomach contracted. Throughout the meeting with her friends and her talk with Damon, she realized her stomach was almost healed, but by now, it had been nearly twenty-four hours with Damon's blood in her system. It was almost out of her body and now she would have to heal from the small stab wound all by herself.

Elena looked around at the window that had been broken in the past when the tomb vampires attacked Damon and Stefan. Nothing entered through the new hole in the wall, but it was the slamming of the door that caught her attention.

"Elena, I need you to step back from this creature," Bill Forbes instructed. He had a gun raised, but Elena had a feeling that it wasn't filled with regular bullets. Instead, she was pretty sure it was filled with wooden bullets that could potentially kill Damon.

"Mr. Forbes?" Elena cried out. "What are you doing?" She held Damon's head in her lap as Bill approached.

"He's a monster Elena. Now move before I shoot him again." Elena felt like she didn't have a choice and so she slowly laid his head down and stood up.

"Please don't hurt him," Elena pleaded. "He didn't do anything!"

"Didn't do anything? According to Liz it was his blood that turned Caroline. He's the reason she's a vampire. And after I'm done with Damon, I'm going to fix my daughter."

"Fix her? What?" Elena started to move towards Bill. "Please don't hurt him. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Elena," Bill warned, picking up Damon and slinging him over his shoulder as if the vampire's dead weight actually did weigh nothing. "Go home. Stay away from all of this. You don't want to ruin your life over this kind of stuff."

She was so tired of everyone telling her what to do. Bonnie wanted Elena to move on from all vampires, Caroline wanted Elena to remember Stefan and be with him, Alec wanted her to stay away from Damon, and now Bill Forbes was telling her what to do too!

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Elena hissed. She didn't hear the person who approached from behind her. And she definitely wasn't ready for them to hold a cloth to her face. The sweet smell of chloroform filled her nostrils and it was only a matter of seconds before her eyes closed and she was lowered onto the Salvatore couch.

Everything went black for Elena.

* * *

**So Stefan is back, he is obviously still affected by Elena; especially her blood. Bill Forbes took Damon and who was that other person? And does Klaus have good intentions? Tell me what you think please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the wait. I seriously didn't try to procrastinate, but school and finals got in the way. I also didn't mean to make this chapter that long. I knew how I wanted it to end, but then I realized I would have to make this chapter into two different chapters. Please don't be mad and please review to let me know what you think.**

**Remember: We just left off with Elena being drugged and Damon being taken.**

* * *

"Elena!" There was a pause and Elena didn't feel like opening her eyes. "Come on girl, we don't have all night."

Elena vaguely felt the soft couch underneath her, the fabric making her feel as if sleep could overtake her again, but whoever was trying to wake her had no plan whatsoever to let her fall asleep. It took another second, but Elena finally opened her eyes to see Caroline standing above her and Stefan near the window where shards of glass covered his floor.

"What happened?" Caroline asked steadily. She helped Elena sit up as she got all of her senses back.

"I don't…" Elena trailed off. That wasn't correct. She did know what happened. She remembered it clearly in her head. She jumped off of the couch and looked around at the damage. "Damon!" She exclaimed. "He was here and so was your father and they took him. We have to find Damon."

"I tried," Stefan said grimly. "But I couldn't smell him. I'm not strong enough to. I could only follow his scent to the doorway."

"What do you mean, my dad?" Caroline asked, standing up too. "He is in Georgia, the last I heard."

"No," Elena corrected. "He shot Damon with a vervain dart, and he said that after he is done with Damon then he is going to fix you Caroline. He blames Damon for you being a vampire, but it wasn't his fault. He healed you to keep you from dying and then it was _Katherine_ that killed you. Not Damon." Elena was nearly hysteric now, only picturing what Bill could do to Damon. She didn't know how far he was willing to torture Damon, but she knew that Bill was set on killing him.

"Did Bill make you unconscious?" Stefan asked, tensely. The fact that someone kidnapped his older brother put Stefan on edge, but thinking about someone hurting an innocent teenage girl, especially Elena, had Stefan murderous.

"Of course not!" Caroline yelled, defending her father, but she had doubts. "Did he?" she whispered to Elena.

Elena shook her head. "No," she reassured her friend. She held onto Caroline's hands, putting what little strength she had into her words to comfort her best friend. No one liked thinking that their dad could hurt their friends. "No, he wouldn't do that. He's your dad Caroline, and he loves you. He wouldn't hurt me."

"But he wants to fix me and kill Damon?" Caroline asked again.

"Yes, and there's someone working with him. It was chloroform that knocked me out. When did you two get here?"

"Five minutes ago," Stefan said. He picked up a huge piece of glass and gripped it until it shattered in his hands, anything to break or else he might break someone else in this room with his anger and rage. "It couldn't have been that long because if I could still smell him then it just couldn't have been that long ago."

"We can safely assume it's not a vampire Bill is working with, or else he would have bitten me and not done it the old fashioned way," Elena pointed out. "I'm calling Alaric and we'll start looking for him. Maybe Bonnie can try a locator spell?"

"She doesn't have powers like that, remember?" Caroline pointed out quietly, solemnly. "And maybe I should talk to my mom? She might know where my dad took him. She can send out deputies instead."

"And when they see your dad hurting Damon and then him instantly healing because of his _vampire_ blood, they will know and help your dad hurt him! We don't have time to go to your mom! We need to do something now."

"Call Alaric," Stefan said. He knew he owed his brother. Damon had saved him countless times throughout the century, one of the most recent times being when he was captured by the tomb vampires and Damon came to the rescue. "We don't have much time."

Elena went into the other room, dialing Alaric's number as she went. She left Caroline and Stefan alone, thankful that they were able to hunt quick that night.

"We aren't going to hurt him, are we?" Caroline was letting her emotions get to her. "My dad, I mean."

Stefan walked over to her and looked into her eyes, "No, we won't hurt him. The other guy he's working with though, I can't promise."

"He's on his way with Jeremy and Bonnie. I decided to leave Klaus and Matt out of this. Matt is already safe at home and I'm sure we can handle two humans without an original making snarky comments." Elena said, sitting on the couch, not knowing what to do with herself.

"You're shaking," Stefan stated, sitting down next to Elena. He was a little too close for her comfort, but she nonetheless welcomed him. It was only months ago that she would have loved if Stefan wrapped his arms around her, but now, all she wanted was to know that Damon was safe. She wouldn't even mind hearing his snide remarks about her friends and his dark humor about killing and hunting. She would take him anyway he offered.

"Here," Caroline offered quickly. She only knew how to keep herself busy in a crisis. "I can make coffee, get your homework while we wait, practice cheerleading, or how about some bourbon?" Caroline smiled in hope that Elena would just stop shaking. She had never seen her friend like this, not since the funeral of her parents. It was like just losing Damon was making her friend take twenty steps back in recovering from her loss.

Caroline poured a drink and held it out to Elena, knowing that alcohol helped her keep calm. "Here, Elena."

Elena swatted it from her best friend's hand. She instantly felt bad as she watched Caroline jump slightly away from her and the ultimate look of hurt cross her face. "I'm sorry Care," Elena apologized right away, snapping out of her dark moment. "That's what I needed. I was relapsing there for a moment. I just need—"

"We're here," Bonnie announced, rushing into the parlor. She, then Jeremy, and then Alaric made it to the room only to see glass scattered everywhere; mostly from the window, but then they noticed the glass of alcohol that was scattered near the fireplace.

Little discussion was made as Jeremy suggested that they split up. No one knew where to look, although Mystic Falls wasn't that big of a place to search. They were able to narrow down some locations, however, as they figured Bill probably wouldn't have a house to take him too and the one motel in town wasn't ideal to torture a vampire.

Elena and Alaric took the North side of town, Stefan and Caroline took the West side of town, and that left Jeremy and Bonnie with the East side of town. The South side was mostly houses, and so they would search that side the next day if they found no trace of Damon or Bill that night.

* * *

"So what's the deal with my sister and Damon?" Jeremy asked as he hit his flashlight against his leg to keep it working. The batteries were running out and they were stuck in the woods. This was their only source of light.

Bonnie chuckled, containing her snort of laughter at Jeremy and his blunt, random questions. "You should have searched with Caroline if you wanted to talk about Damon and Elena. I have no clue what's going on with them. She doesn't talk about it, I prefer not to know what goes on between them, and I don't wish to know."

"I think she's playing with fire," Jeremy said, stepping over logs and gravel. Bonnie raised her eyes brows, wondering what Jeremy meant. She wasn't a big Damon advocate, but from what Jeremy told her this past summer, he seemed to like Damon. "I don't like admitting it most of the time, but he took care of us this summer. Damon acts like a dick…well, he is a dick, who only cares about Elena. And now that Stefan's back, I think she's going to have to make a choice between them and she's not willing to do that."

"Maybe she is," Bonnie said quietly, letting Jeremy lead her through the woods.

"There's Stefan who could rip out our hearts at anytime and drain us of blood, or there's Damon who is selfish and a dick most of the time," Jeremy stated matter of factly.

"But he took care of you, Elena, and Alaric over the summer when I was with family and Caroline was busy with cheerleading camps and organizations." Bonnie reminded him softly. "I'm not a vampire fan, but I think your sister is pretty safe with Damon by her side and deep down, you think that too."

Jeremy sighed, "Yeah," he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly; "I just wished he wasn't a vampire so she could have a normal life. He's dangerous, deceiving, and yet, he would do anything for her. And if doing anything for Elena includes saving me time and time again, then I guess I'm glad she's playing with fire."

Bonnie didn't let Jeremy's comment get to her. He wanted Elena, his sister, to have a normal life without vampires in it. Did that mean that Jeremy wanted a normal life too? Because she was a witch, she could never give him a normal, human life. Spells, spirits, and power will always follow her.

She didn't notice that she stopped walking until Jeremy was five feet ahead of her and he turned around to look at her. "What's wrong?"

He took two steps towards her and cupped her face. Ever since she returned from spending time with her family over summer, they hadn't had that much alone time with Alec looming around.

"You okay, Bon?" Jeremy looked into her deep, brown eyes with concern. "Did I do something?"

She shook her head and blinked away her concern. "No. Of course not. I'm just getting a bad vibe is all. I wish my powers would return so I could do a locator spell."

* * *

Damon forced his eyes open to take in his surroundings. He was strapped to an iron chair, with chains that were coated in vervain. The liquid was soaking through his skin and burning him like acid and he groaned in discomfort. His ankles were also chained down to the ground, the keys to the chains hanging on a grimy wall.

He looked around his surroundings the best he could, not being able to move much due to the vervain soaking into his skin and the hole in his back from where he was originally hit with the vervain dart. He realized that whoever took him still hadn't removed the dart from his back and it made sitting with his back against the chair that more painful.

"He's awake," a voice taunted cruelly. Damon looked at the person who was entering the cell he was held in. The door seemed to be made of iron too, with only a small window at the top of the door. It reminded him of the door in his cellar.

He wasn't one to look away from danger, and so he smirked to show no fear or nerve. Damon wasn't going to back down. That wasn't the monster he was.

The man looked to be about late thirties with sandy brown hair and tan skin. Damon didn't recognize him from around town and so he figured he must have just rolled into Mystic Falls not too long ago.

"Fell," Bill Forbe's voice barked as he entered the room too, holding a wooden stake with a very pointy tip. "No taunting the dead."

Damon didn't let his eyes stray from this Fell character. "So you're Bill Forbes' bitch?" Damon asked with harsh humor. He watched as Fell became red in the face and Bill held the stake too close to his heart. Damon laughed in his face.

"Fuck you," Fell hissed as he leaned against the dirty wall, crossing his arms. "I'm a citizen of this town. I have family here to protect."

Damon knew that the Fells were a part of the founding families. He had known the original Fells back when he was a human and they were complete assholes who were stuck up.

"You're the monster that ruined my daughter," Bill hissed. "You're nothing but a shell of a human who deserves to suffer and die."

Damon rolled his eyes cockily. "If this is your way of threatening me, then I'll give you a six for how serious your tone is."

Bill forced the stake into Damon's body and he gasped for breath as he should have realized that Bill would have bathed the stake in vervain too. Bill left the stake in Damon and gripped his chin so he was forced to look up. Damon still showed mirth and victory in his eyes even though he was starting to feel the loss of blood from his body.

"Now, Josh says that you can walk in the light and I have yet to figure that one out. Tell me how you do it." Bill glared down at Damon, producing a very sharp blade from his back pocket. Damon didn't have to guess if it was laced with vervain because the moment Bill jabbed it into his upper chest, Damon growled in pain.

"Go to hell," Damon mocked right before he heard his shirt rip and the blade created a deep gash in his chest that oozed his precious blood.

* * *

Elena knew she looked her worst when she prepared herself for school. If she had it her way then she wouldn't even be going to school because her mind wasn't in the right state of mind. They should be going to the Witch House and have Bonnie try to bargain for her powers to come back. If they could just get Bonnie's powers back then a locator spell would help find Damon immensely.

"Coffee?" Alaric asked the moment Elena walked down the stairs, putting her wavy hair into a bun on top of her head.

"Yes, please," she gushed as she savored the taste of the dark liquid, holding it close to her as she inhaled the scent. When she opened her eyes she looked at Alaric with narrowed eyes. "You know, if you're going to make me go to school like a guardian, then you should probably live here officially to claim that title. It's not really fair that you're punishing me when you technically are a hobo on our couch."

Alaric rolled his eyes at Elena's attempt for humor. He wasn't surprised to see bags underneath her eyes since they had gotten home at three in the morning with no luck of finding Damon or Bill, and they had to be out the door for school at seven. That didn't leave much time for sleep, but he didn't comment on her appearance.

"I'm not punishing you, Elena. I'm making you go to school to get an education so you can get the hell out of this town. I think you should be thanking me instead." Alaric smirked at her and it reminded her of Damon and how he always showed off his cocky smirk.

"We have to find him, Ric," Elena whispered as Jeremy came down the stairs. "He's saved us countless times. We owe it to him."

"So not to be the person who brings even more bad news, but what are we going to do about Alec?" Jeremy asked as he grabbed himself a bowl to pour himself some cereal. "I mean, he has an obsession with you Elena. That's gross."

Elena adjusted her dress and jean jacket that adorned her shoulders before hearing Caroline outside in her car, honking her horn incessantly. "I don't know Jere," Elena confessed. "He hasn't done anything in a while, so whatever he is planning must be something epic." She grabbed an apple on the table before leaving. "See you guys at school. I'm still not happy about it Ric!"

* * *

"So Tyler said that his mom freaked when he told her about werewolves and his lineage. I guess his dad really did hide everything from her. And then she was still freaked out about the vampires, but she's easing into the idea that her son is a dog and that he's dating a dead living thing." Caroline babbled on and on about Tyler and what he told her during their late night phone call. She looked at Elena quickly with pity. "I'm sorry. I'm sure this all sounds stupid right now, but I'm just distracting myself from everything that's going on. This Alec guy has me freaking out."

"I know. I'm still in shock over everything." Elena got out of Caroline's car, situating her purse on her shoulder. "I really don't want to be here."

"It's our senior year," Bonnie said, walking up behind them.

"We should all want to be here," Caroline announced. "We're seniors, we rule the school, and as long as we're all together, no one can hurt us."

"On the contrary," Alec's voice spoke from behind the three girls. They all whipped around, and Elena noticed right away what Alec was holding in his hand. "I'm certain _someone_ can hurt you three. No one's invincible after all," he mocked.

"Caroline," Elena whispered. "Do you see what he's holding?"

"This thing?" Alec asked, holding it up to the light with a smirk. Of course he heard Elena whispering to her friend. He could probably hear her rapid heartbeat too. "You know, not a lot of people are on vervain in this town. It's so easy to compel someone to do your dirty work."

"Where's Damon?" Elena asked, taking a step forward, hoping that if she was at least in front of Caroline and Bonnie then Alec would keep his attention on her and not her best friends.

Alec's eyes blazed a fire that Elena had never seen before. She wanted to run for the hills, but she kept her feet planted as she took in his crisp appearance. It looked as if he was going to a business meeting and not just the school's campus.

"I warned you that if you got too close to Damon then I would stake him." Alec twirled Damon's daylight ring on his pinkie finger. "If you want his ring back then come and get it Elena. I'm sure you won't find him, and if you do, it'll be too late."

"Don't," warned Bonnie but Elena did not listen. As long as they were in public, he wouldn't hurt her, Elena was certain of it.

Elena took a small step forward, bliss dancing in Alec's eyes. "Give me his ring, Alec." She raised her chin, trying to imagine what a more confident person would do in her situation. She knew they wouldn't look down at the ground in fear, and so she took a deep breath and glared at the older vampire.

"How did you even get it?" Caroline screeched.

Alec looked at the blonde before smirking down at Elena. She was so close to him that he could nearly smell her blood through her unblemished skin.

"I compelled one of his captures, told him about Damon's ring, and I politely asked him to take it for me…and then he's going to stake Damon Salvatore." Alec chuckled greedily and showed off his very white, sharp teeth.

Elena went for the ring while Alec was laughing, but his hand that was holding the ring prisoner caught her wrist while his other hand wrapped itself around her lower back, pulling her flush against his white button up shirt.

"You said I could have it," Elena gasped out as she found it hard to breath when he was pinning her so tightly to himself.

"But I want something in return," he grinned viciously.

"I swear, when I get my powers back I'm going to desiccate you," Bonnie murmured viciously.

"Done," Elena agreed right away without waiting to hear what Alec exactly wanted.

"Elena!" Caroline exclaimed.

"What do you want?" She asked Alec, struggling in his grasp.

"There's a book I need and I believe the Salvatore brothers have it." Alec loved the way Elena felt in his hold and he lowered his lips to her ears so that way they could share this special moment without her two best friends listening in. He wanted to savor every moment with Elena. "I need the Petrova book."

She remembered the book that she, Damon, and Alaric found at Duke previously that year. She had given it to Katherine in the tomb and she was certain either Stefan or Damon brought the book back to their house after the tomb's invisible blockade came down.

She didn't know why Alec wanted it, and she didn't exactly care to ask either, not when his mouth was mere centimeters away from her ear and she could feel his heated breath on her body. It made it her want to convulse.

"Okay," she said. "I can get it right now. When do you want to exchange?"

Alec wasn't sure if he was upset that Elena agreed all too willingly to get the book for him. That meant she really did care for Damon and he hated seeing and knowing she was with another man. He hardly knew the girl, but he knew her family and her lineage. He wanted Elena for himself. And he was going to take her one day in the close future.

"Be back here by the end of the school day. I'll be waiting right here."

Just then the bell went off, indicating that classes were about to begin. Alec blurred away, having no one notice his passing.

"What the hell?" Bonnie exclaimed dramatically. "Do you know what you're doing? What you're risking?"

"I have too. What choice do I have, Bonnie?" Elena rubbed her hand over her face, feeling a headache taking over. "If Alaric or Stefan asks where I am, can you guys please cover? I won't be gone for long."

"I don't condone this," Caroline said, "But I'll cover for you. God knows you covered for me a hundred times sophomore year."

Bonnie let out a huff in disapproval, but she nodded her head nonetheless. "What if you can't find the book? Why does he even want it?"

Elena shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. He wasn't that specific."

"Here," Caroline said, dropping her car keys into Elena's hands. "You'll get to the boarding house faster."

Elena went to Caroline's car, not wanting to think of the possibility that the book might still be in the tomb. She had to check the boarding house though. There were over a hundred books there, but she figured she might start looking in Stefan's room first. He always kept things important to him stashed away. Katherine was important to him, and so it would make sense if he kept the book hidden somewhere in his clutter.

She started her drive to the boarding house, not letting the guilt seep into her. If she hadn't have stated some of her feelings towards Damon, then he would still be here, and not trapped somewhere with a compelled human-vampire killer and Caroline's father. This was her fault and she felt like it was her duty to save him. She owed him that.

* * *

Damon had his head hung as he concentrated intensely on the figure outside the iron door and the phone call Josh Fell was having. He was fading in and out, and he cursed Josh Fell for figuring out that it was his ring that allowed him to walk in the sun. Bill Forbes had snatched his ring right away, and before Damon knew what was happening, a string was pulled and sunlight was shining above him.

Bill had left for hours, probably in search for his daughter, and that left Josh and him alone. Damon hated the fact that Josh was in love with pulling the string to the sunlight. His skin cracked and peeled, catching on fire instantly. He was losing his strength faster than he liked, and Damon knew he shouldn't exert himself further by trying to listen to Josh and whoever he was on the phone with, but he couldn't help it.

"_How soon will you have the book by?" _Josh asked. No matter how hard Damon tried, he couldn't hear the person on the phone. It was a one-sided conversation. "_She's the key. I'm telling you. The girl would do anything for the Salvatore brothers, Damon especially."_

This peaked Damon's interest. There was only one girl that they could be talking about and he hated the fact that Elena was caught up in this mess. Couldn't she ever stay out of trouble? And what book were they talking about? How was Elena a part of this? She couldn't be the key they were talking about, could she?

"_Are you ever going to get over the Petrova family?"_ There was a pause and Josh frantically corrected himself. _"Yes, I'm sorry for bringing up your love interest. I won't slip up again."_

Love interest? Damon knew who Josh was talking to instantly the moment 'love interest' was uttered. Of course Josh was working with Alec. Alec did warn Elena that he would have a stake through his heart if she didn't stay away from him. Alec probably compelled Josh to do his dirty work and Bill Forbes just happened to be in town because of Mayor Lockwood calling him.

"_He's almost done. Come nightfall, Damon Salvatore will have a stake through his heart and I'll deliver his body right to your door."_ The phone clicked off and Damon groaned as his wounds were not healing. He felt his eyes droop shut as the pain of the vervain held him tightly to the chair.

Before Josh even came back into the cell, Damon's vision went dark and his thoughts drifted away.

* * *

Elena was in the library of the Salvatore brothers boarding house, searching book after book. She hadn't found the Petrova book in Stefan's room and so she needed to search every inch of the house if she wanted to hand over the book to Alec.

"Looking for something?" Stefan's voice asked. If she wasn't mistaken, there was a small, miniscule trace of humor in his tone.

Elena looked as if she were a kid getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar. She was going to ask Stefan why he wasn't at school and then she realized either Caroline or Bonnie told on her. "Who told you?"

Stefan winced, not realizing he was that transparent. "Caroline might have mentioned seeing Alec this morning."

Elena rolled her eyes and huffed, going back to pulling down nearly all the books on their shelves. The library was a room that hardly anyone went into. She was pretty sure this used to be Zach's study room, but she wasn't certain. All Elena knew was that there were ten shelves, stacked to the ceiling filled with books about mythical creatures and demons that supposedly roamed the world. She found it weird that not one book was labeled 'Vampire' since obviously, vampires were real.

"I only have twenty minutes left to get this stupid book to Alec, and I can't find it anywhere." She sighed, rubbing her forehead, the headache still clear in her mind. "I just assumed you or Damon took the book back."

Stefan nodded his head. "You should have just asked me for it. It's in my room."

"I looked there," Elena said, turning around to face him. She blushed as he raised his eye brows to her. She knew she probably should have just asked him, but by the time she got to the boarding house, she was on a mission and no one was going to stop her.

"Come on," Stefan said, leading her to the left and straight to his room. She watched him from the doorway, not taking a step in. She felt awkward as he took in his room's state. "You didn't exactly clean up after yourself either."

"I was going too," Elena stated quickly. "I just ran out of time and I'm starting to panic because Alec is going to kill him. I'm pretty sure he's the one who actually took Damon."

Stefan's forehead crinkled and his eye brows knitted together in deep thought. He walked over to his closet, bent down on the ground and pulled up a floorboard. Elena didn't even know that he had a secret stash like that. "I don't understand. Why would Alec want Damon? What has Damon done this summer that Alec wants to punish him?"

"He didn't do anything," Elena whispered guiltily. Stefan walked back over to her, and handed her the book. His thumb touched her slim fingers, and he lingered longer than he should have. She looked up and into Stefan's green eyes that were filled with sadness she didn't notice before.

"Elena," he whispered and it seemed like he was in pain. She didn't know if he was worried for his brother and that's why he seemed hurt or if he wanted to talk about him leaving for the summer. Either way, they didn't have time for it.

He went to go cup her cheek, and Elena pulled back, taking the book with her. "We don't have time Stefan. I have to go."

He reluctantly nodded his head and followed her. "I'll go with you. Alec isn't safe to be around."

They didn't have time to argue and so Elena agreed. She gave Stefan the keys to Caroline's car, knowing he drove a lot faster than her and they made it to the school in record time. She got out of the car, not looking at Stefan because she didn't want to see the turmoil in his eyes anymore. She couldn't take the guilt of getting Damon tortured and possibly killed along with the guilt of hurting Stefan along the way. It was all too much for her.

Elena and Stefan stood side by side as they saw Alec appear by an oak tree, leaning casually against the rough bark. Stefan narrowed his eyes, assessing the older vampire. He had yet to see Alec in person like everyone else.

"I see you've brought a guest," Alec said smoothly. He crossed his arms and smirked. "I did too."

Behind Alec, a familiar face stood by his side. "That's Josh Fell," Elena said to Stefan quietly. "He's a part of the founding families."

"Did you really have to bring backup?" Stefan asked, a spiteful look crossed through his eyes that Elena had rarely seen before. He was fighting against the ripper, and in that moment, Stefan was able to transfix his ripper self against Alec. "I think that's kind of petty for you; making others get their hands dirty just to satisfy your needs."

Alec's lips twisted into a thin line, and Elena stepped forward yet again, hoping he would concentrate on her and not Stefan. He may be fighting the ripper inside, but she knew that Stefan was still no match for Alec.

"Here, I got the book you wanted." Elena held it to her chest, waiting until Alec showed Damon's ring. "A deal is a deal."

Alec walked towards her, slowly assessing the woman in front of him. She shut her eyes as he circled her, hearing Stefan growl in the background.

"Tell him to retreat his fangs or else I'll rip his heart out too," Alec whispered in her ear.

"Stefan," Elena pleaded. "Please stop. I'm fine."

Alec glided the book out of her hands and held his palm open, Damon's ring sparkling in the light. "If you want it, take it."

She looked into his cold eyes, trying to see if he had at least an ounce of humanity left, but she felt nothing but a shiver run up her spine. Elena slowly took the ring from Alec, not knowing if this were a trick or not.

"When the moon is at its peak tonight, Damon Salvatore will have a stake through his heart," Alec warned her with his stupid smirk that looked malicious.

"If you want him dead, why not do it right now?" Stefan asked through gritted teeth.

"It's poetic, don't you think Elena?" Alec asked with a double meaning. He was referencing his perverted poem that he sent her on the brick through her window.

She narrowed her eyes, hating him with every fiber of her being. "Go to hell," Elena hissed, walking over to Stefan and not looking back once.

Alec narrowed his eyes at Stefan's and Elena's retreating backs. He saw the way Stefan couldn't keep his eyes off of Elena, he knew the dirty thoughts Stefan must be having, and he didn't like it one bit. If Stefan didn't keep his hands of off his Elena than the next vampire being staked would be Stefan Salvatore.

* * *

The group had split up again, the same pairs at night time. Elena and Stefan had filled everyone in that showed up at the boarding house about Alec and his sudden interest in a book. They decided they might have to retrieve the book back in order to actually figure out what Alec needs with it.

"You know," Alaric said gruffly, not being used to scolding teenagers who he lives with semi-permanently. "What you did today was stupid. And I thought I told you to go to school today?"

Elena huffed too, "And I thought I mentioned it was not fair that you're bossing me around like a _guardian_ when you won't agree to just live with me and Jeremy." She smiled at him, keeping the tone light. She just wanted Alaric to live with her and Jeremy, knowing that Jeremy needed a strong male figure in his life. "Let's face it Alaric; Jeremy and I have no one to look after us and you have no family left either. We can all survive together."

Alaric sighed, knowing Elena was right. "I know I sound a little unfair when I try to make rules for you, but I am not cut out for the parenting life. Jenna was great at it, and your parents obviously were too or else you and Jeremy wouldn't be the great teenagers you are now, and I'll just mess up the work they did."

Elena stopped in her tracks. "Is that what you really think? That you'll mess Jeremy and I up even more?" She took Alaric's silence as a confirmation. "Have you met us? I dated a ripper for a year, my best friends are vampires, witches, and werewolves. I'm being fed vampire blood by Damon. How much more do I have to list before you believe that we're already a dysfunctional family?"

"I think we should keep searching. The moon is almost peaking," Alaric said, distracting Elena for the time being.

She shined the flashlight in front of her, making sure she wasn't going to trip over anything in the woods. The moment she took a step forward, however, the ground caved in around her and she fell ten feet.

Alaric reacted right away, shining his own flashlight downwards. "Elena!" He called frantically, panic and worry in his eyes as he took in the hard rock and soft dirt that also fell. "Elena! Are you okay?"

Elena groaned, lying on the ground with a fresh cut on her forehead. Her body ached so much that she was sure her whole back was bruised, yet again. The light helped her open her eyes as she saw Alaric's troubled face.

"Yeah," she moaned as she pushed the rocks, dirt, and debris of pebbles and grass off of her. "I think my shirt is permanently stained though. And I liked this shirt," she said, trying to crack a joke to tell him that she was actually okay. Yes, she would have bruises in the morning, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

"I'm going to find some rope!" He called down to her. The moment he took another step, more grass and dirt fell and he almost ended up in the ground with her.

Elena looked around herself and saw sketches on the walls. She narrowed her eyes as she saw an archway. There was something about these walls that looked familiar and then it hit her. "Don't bother Ric," she called. "I'm in the Lockwood tunnels." And before Elena could say anything else, there was a very distinct groan of pain, followed by curse words.

"Elena, don't. Wait for me," Alaric hissed, already knowing Elena was going to go running off and be her stubborn self.

She looked up at him pleadingly. "Meet me down here then, but I'm going to go find him. It's Damon, Ric, and I'm not waiting until the last minute to save him."

She took off in search for Damon through the unknown tunnels. She had her flashlight, a stake tucked into her black leather jacket, and a small knife stored in her leather boots. She was really hoping she wouldn't have to use any weapon considering she wasn't that skilled with them, but Alaric made everyone on the search party bring them just in case they ran into Alec or someone else.

* * *

"You really think my dad wants to fix me?" Caroline asked quietly. She was with Stefan again, partly babysitting him and partly dumping her problems on him because Tyler wasn't with them.

Stefan pulled out his phone, reading the text from Alaric before sighing. "I guess we're about to find out. Alaric said they're in the Lockwood tunnels. Elena and him are separated, but they're both okay."

Caroline didn't say anything and when Stefan looked up at her, he was confused by her facial expression. "What's wrong?"

"Stefan," Caroline whispered as she looked past him and concentrated on the figure behind him. "It's Alec."

"One brother down, and another one to go," Alec mocked.

Both Caroline and Stefan got into fighting stances, ready to attack if Alec made a move. "You're starting to get even creepier," Caroline hissed with the meanest tone she could muster.

Alec smiled at her attempt to taunt him. "You do look lovely riled up Car—" He was cut off as a pair of hands wrapped around his neck from behind and twisted harshly.

When Alec's body dropped to the ground, Caroline and Stefan both looked stunned. "Tyler?" Caroline exclaimed with happiness and relief. "oh my god!"

Tyler smirked. "After calming my mom down about werewolves roaming Mystic Falls I figured I could help look for Damon. He did save your life months ago, and I kind of owe him."

"I have never been happier to see you." Caroline rushed to him, grabbed his face in pure elation, and kissed him with tongue. Stefan looked away and cleared his throat when he heard them deepen the kiss. She pulled away, looking a little guilty. "Sorry. We should get going. They found Damon. They just don't have him in our custody yet."

* * *

Elena made her way towards the sounds she was hearing. If she concentrated hard enough she could make out Bill's voice and Josh's. Damon was not heard since his original groan of agony. When she got closer, she hid behind a corner, seeing Bill and Josh talking right outside of a cell door. They looked intense as Bill was getting into Josh's face.

"As much as I want to stake him Fell, we can't yet. Not until my monster of a daughter shows herself. I'm here to fix her, not stake Salvatore out of rash decisions." Bill growled.

Josh's eyes were glossy now, and Elena knew that it was from compulsion.

"Have you been compelled?" Bill asked. He gripped onto Josh's shoulders, shaking him slightly with anger. "I didn't come back to work with a human who's being controlled by another vampire. This town needs change."

"You're right," Josh hissed. "Starting with you." Before Bill or Elena knew what Josh was doing, he hit Bill in the face, pushed him up against the wall, and slammed his head against the hard rock. Bill passed out and slid to the ground instantly.

Elena couldn't hold in her gasp of shock, and that made Josh look at her. She revealed herself fully, wishing Alaric gave her something more useful than a stake or a knife. She didn't condone violence, but the weapons she did have required her to be close to her attacker, and either one would injure Josh greatly. If only she had a tranquilizer or maybe even a gun to just scare him off.

"You don't have to do this," Elena said, trying to hide her fear or shake of the voice. If she was able to talk a new vampire out of hurting Damon in Georgia, maybe she could talk some sense into Josh, a human. "He didn't do anything," she pleaded. When she saw Josh's eyes soften a bit, she took a few steps forward. "Alec won't have to know you let him go. My group of friends, they can help you."

"Did you know that I was best friends with your uncle, John?" Josh said. "Back in high school before everyone moved away."

He was talking about friends and family and so Elena took that as a good sign. She was within reaching distance of his grip now. She was getting through to him. "You have some of his features."

"I am his biological daughter. If you were best friends with him in the past, then you wouldn't want to hurt his daughter, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't." His eyes became glossy though. "But I have to kill Damon."

"No!" She exclaimed, reaching out to stop him, but he twisted her arm behind her back in a painful grip. He was strong, but then again, everyone was strong compared to her. He pushed open the door and threw her in. She ended up in a heap across the small room. Her already sore body ached and screamed at her to stop, but she spun around and quickly got up on her feet. She took in her surroundings and stopped her gaze on Damon who sat in a chair, surely laced with vervain because he wasn't moving. "Damon," she whispered.

Hearing his name come from her mouth made him slowly look up, dried blood and gashes covering his upper torso and face. She almost didn't recognize him and she had to wonder why his wounds weren't actually healing.

"Elena?" He whispered hoarsely. "You're just a figment of my imag—" He coughed and wheezed from lack of energy. She rushed to his side, gripping onto his arm. She didn't realize she was probably hurting him more than helping. "Imagination," he finished before coughing again and hanging his head back down in defeat.

"Would your imagination be doing this then?" Elena asked, placing his daylight ring back onto his finger. He slowly looked up at Elena in shock before she started to work on the ropes and metal around his wrists. He growled and hissed in pain. It was foreign to her because she had never seen Damon like this. Even in Georgia he seemed okay after he took a beating from Lexi's boyfriend.

"Where's the key? I can't get the chains off without it?"

"On the hook, there," Damon pointed with his head, towards the wall that was by the door.

Elena rushed to it and before she could get the key actually off the hook, Josh came back into the room, not bothering shutting the door behind himself. He looked at Damon first with a menacing smile before turning to glare at Elena. He gripped her right hand so hard that she cried out in pain.

"Stop!" Damon growled out in a different tone than before. It was as if he had hope and courage and strength back because his face vamped out for a second before he became too weak to keep that face.

Josh still had his hand around Elena's bruised wrist as he turned her so that her whole front was being pushed against the cold, rock wall. She was breathing harshly from the pain, but she thought quickly. Her other hand reached down to her boot, and slowly withdrew the knife.

What she did next, she would regret the next day, but she threw her head back, effectively hitting Josh in the nose and hearing a crack. He let go of her in a howl, and Elena wanted nothing more than to cradle her throbbing head. People in movies never told anyone just how badly headbutting someone actually felt.

She spun around, not daring to look at Damon because she didn't want to get distracted. She held out the knife, clutching it with white hands.

"What the fuck!" Josh exclaimed, blood gushing down his nose as he looked at Elena with the knife. He started chuckling and advancing on her again. "You can't hurt me with that Elena. You're too good. What would your father think?"

"John or my real dad? Because they would both want me to kick your ass," she snarled.

"Forget killing this monster. Alec said to stop anyone who gets in my way. I'll deal with you first," Josh grumbled. He advanced on Elena, moving too quickly, and twisted her wrist once again, but this time however, he rotated the wrist that was attached to her hand that was holding the knife. It was so close to her neck as he pushed it closer to her. If she gave up, he would jam it right into her neck and she would be dead from the puncture.

She swiftly raised her other hand and tried to push it away from her, but was pushing too much and she squeezed her eyes shut. She blocked out Damon's struggles in his chair, his menacing growls as he used the rest of his energy to try to escape his confines to save her. Elena realized that even when she was about to meet her death, she was still hurting Damon as the vervain ropes and chains surely burned his skin.

Everything went quiet for a moment as Elena felt a breeze run across her body. No longer was she holding the blade, and Josh wasn't in front of her, trying to kill her. Briefly, Elena wondered if Damon really did escape his restraints, but when she looked at him with terrified eyes, she knew it wasn't him.

"Alaric?" She asked as she saw her history teacher on top of Josh, jabbing and punching him in the mouth, face, and bruised cheeks. He wasn't letting up as he gripped Josh by the collar and pulled him to his wobbly feet. Blood smeared Alaric's knuckles and Josh's pale face.

"If you ever touch her again," Alaric hissed in the darkest voice Elena has ever heard him use, "I will _kill _you."

Elena flinched at his words as Alaric slammed Josh against the rock wall. He wasn't done with Josh as Elena watched Alaric go into a deep, red rage. He smashed Josh against the rock wall once more before holding his hand around Josh's neck, gripping tightly.

"Who are you?" Josh croaked out.

Alaric was breathing heavily; his hands shaking slightly as he narrowed his eyes. "I'm her guardian, asshole."

Elena, for a moment, felt love at Alaric's words. He was her guardian. When she and Jeremy had no one left in their family, Alaric was willing to step in. He was protecting her when he didn't need too and Elena couldn't have been happier at hearing Alaric's words.

"I should kill you now for trying to hurt her," Alaric seethed, knocking his fist into Josh's stomach. "I should end your pathetic life for even considering killing an innocent."

"Ric!" Elena called out, her voice sounding hoarse and unfamiliar. "Please don't. You're better than that."

A moment passed before Alaric was holding him by his collar, about two inches off of the ground so his feet dangled dangerously. "I'm going to give you a day to collect your things and leave Mystic Falls. If I ever see you again, you'll be a dead man. And I can guarantee you, that if Damon ever finds you, then you'll have a worse fate than what I can give you."

Alaric looked into Josh's eyes to see if the man understood. When Alaric was sure Josh got his message, he pulled back his fist and sent a jaw shattering punch to the man's face, effectively knocking him out. "That should keep him down," Alaric said darkly, staring at Josh's lifeless body.

Before Elena or Alaric could say anything, Caroline's voice could be heard and only a moment later, Stefan, Tyler, and Caroline were standing in the cell's doorway. Caroline was busy with her dad though as she took a second to make sure that Alaric and Elena were okay before taking care of her own family member.

"What happened?" Stefan asked as he looked at Josh's body, smelling the blood. His hands tightened on the doorway, his eyes turning a shade darker and he concentrated on keeping his fangs at bay. He had just hunted the previous day, but he would have to go out that night to keep the cravings down.

Elena was staring at Alaric in awe, feeling like her whole life wasn't empty ever since losing Jenna and Stefan to Klaus. All of a sudden, her body rushed forward and embraced Alaric in an enormous hug.

"Thank you," she whispered so only he could hear. She looked up at him with unshed tears in her eyes. "Thank you."

Alaric hugged back eventually, it being a new concept ever since Jenna passed away. He wasn't used to kids looking up to him, especially teenagers, but he would take whatever he could get. There was a time in his life when he wanted kids with Isobel, but now, he wouldn't trade anything in the world to have kids if that meant giving Elena and Jeremy up.

Damon groaned in misery. "My wounds aren't healing themselves," he murmured. He tried to use his snide tone with his usual cocky smirk, but his body was fighting him and he just sounded pathetic.

Elena pulled herself away from Alaric, and slowly walked in front of Damon, kneeling down to gently cup his face.

"Elena, don't," Stefan warned, looking at his brother in awe. How could his brother respond so affectionately towards Elena when he was almost drained of blood? If Stefan were in Damon's spot, he would rip into the first human being he saw, but Damon didn't do that. Instead, Stefan had to watch as Damon delicately leaned into Elena's touch, his brother's blue eyes wide with surprise that Elena was kneeling at his feet. "He's dangerous," he warned her weakly.

"The key is on the hook Alaric," Elena instructed, ignoring Stefan's warning completely, never taking her eyes off of Damon's. "It's a brass key."

Alaric worked on unlocking Damon's chains while Elena was his shoulder to lean on. Even though she was bruised and battered herself, she was Damon Salvatore's shoulder to lean on for the night.

* * *

**Review Please :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**So a lot happens in this chapter, but not much explanation. There might be questions left unanswered, stories left untold, and frustration with Damon and Elena. Also, I have introduced Rebekah in the story now. Let me know what you think! Thanks**

* * *

Everything felt like a blur to Elena as Tyler and Alaric nearly had to drag and carry Damon's lifeless body into the boarding house. Elena didn't know how they managed to get him upstairs and into his room, but the two men did. Caroline and Bonnie were with Caroline's dad, trying to get him to calm down. They had to try to talk some sense into Bill or else he was going to get himself killed when Damon returned to full strength again.

Stefan, Jeremy, and Elena were in the parlor of the boarding house. The Gilberts watched as Stefan, who rarely drank alcohol, poured himself a cup of scotch.

"Are you okay, Stefan?" Elena asked. She took a step forward to reach him, but he jerked back quickly.

"Don't," he rasped out. "Your cuts. I can smell your blood and it's…intoxicating."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes on Stefan. He wasn't an expert when it came to vampires and feeding, but he knew that Stefan wasn't stable and Elena was doing nothing but hurting Stefan by being so close with fresh wounds. However, Jeremy blamed Stefan for being so out of control. He put himself in between Stefan and Elena.

"Blood bags? He's in major need of them," Tyler said as he hopped down the last step of stairs.

"Right," Elena said hurriedly. "They're in the basement, in the big fridge. Jeremy, why don't you go with Tyler. Show him where they keep them, please."

"Elena," Jeremy said in a stern voice, but Elena fixed him with a stare, not backing down. She and Stefan had to talk. They had to get through this conversation so that she could go upstairs to check on Damon. "Fine," Jeremy huffed out.

When it was just Stefan and Elena, an awkward silence filled the room. This had to be one of the first times Elena truly didn't know what to say to Stefan.

"You're not wearing the necklace," Stefan said dully. He looked her up and down and Elena all of a sudden felt guilt overwhelm her. Could he see all her memories from the summer? Could he tell how much time she really spent with his older brother? The cooking, barbeques, tanning outside, and walking through town mirrored across her face as she looked down at the ground, shame filling her features.

"I drink vervain now," Elena said. She didn't want to tell him that Damon had found her necklace after the ritual, and that she refused to wear it during the summer. Elena didn't want to hurt Stefan even more and show him the bracelet Damon gave her to wear full of vervain.

"Oh," was all Stefan said. He put his hands in his pockets.

"I can give you the necklace back. I feel bad for still having it." She didn't know how to express her feelings to him anymore. So much had changed that summer.

"I don't think this will be enough," Jeremy said. "Elena, there's only one blood bag."

"How is that possible?" Elena asked, turning away from Stefan.

"Caroline's been eating here," Stefan murmured. "She was going to go on a blood run tomorrow."

Elena took the bag from Jeremy and looked down at the cold liquid. It used to disgust her that Damon and Caroline could carelessly drink out of these pouches, but she got used to the sight when Damon would drink them at her house. She smiled faintly as she remembered a particularly hot summer day when she and Damon lay outside drinking lemonade and Damon spiking his drink with blood.

He couldn't wait to get blood and so Elena made a decision that she would either regret or revel in. "I'll bring this up to him. Thanks guys."

She walked up the stairs to his room. Damon was laying in his bed, staining his white sheets with his blood while Alaric seemed to have stripped him of his shirt and was now standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. Elena knew Damon hated when people took care of him. It probably hurt him more to let Tyler and Alaric carry him upstairs compared to the vervain burning him.

"That's not going to be enough," Alaric's monotone voice drifted through the room. He had barely glanced at Elena, but he saw the one blood bag.

She sighed, "I know." Squeezing her eyes shut for a second, she took a deep breath and then looked at Alaric. "I'm going to stay here for the night. Before you say anything about school, I'll be back in the morning."

"I really am not a good guardian if I let you stay," he said. There was a battle going through his eyes as he looked from Damon to Elena. "But you're an adult now Elena. You can make decisions for yourself."

Elena had a feeling Alaric knew what she was going to be doing. His last sentence had a double meaning. He wasn't going to try to talk her out of feeding Damon her blood. Instead, he was going to let her make her own choices.

"Be safe," he whispered. When he left the room, he patted her shoulder comfortingly.

When she was sure Alaric went down the stairs, she cautiously made her way to Damon's bed. He was sweating, bleeding still, and panting heavily. She let her fingers delicately push back his hair and stroke his cheek.

"Hey, I have some blood for you."

Damon didn't speak. He wasn't like his usual self and that scared Elena more than anything. How could someone so strong be knocked down so quickly? She held the bag to his lips, letting Damon latch onto the bag, sipping like it was a juice box. It had only taken seconds for the blood to be gone and Damon groaned when he lowered his head.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "This is the only bag you guys have. Caroline's been having her fair share of blood here."

"Figures Blondie would steal our stash," Damon grunted out.

"You have some color back…or at least the most color you can have since you're technically dead and pale," Elena said nervously. She was talking fast and she was sure that if Damon was healed properly, he would hear her heart beating out of her chest at a rapid pace.

Elena put the empty bag down on the bedside table, noticing the white cloth and bowl of water Alaric must have gotten out. She didn't ask Damon before getting the cloth damp and softly moving it along his chiseled chest. She made sure to avoid the gashes for now, knowing that once he was fully healed then he could get the rest of the blood off.

"Is this okay?" Elena asked as she maneuvered her hands over his body, watching at the cloth was instantly stained red.

"This is twice now that you've had to take care of me. It's pathetic," Damon spat out.

Elena rolled her eyes. "I'm glad to see that your snarky side is coming back." Her eyes scanned over his upper body. Even with cuts and bruises he had a body of a god. His abs contracted under her touch and his skin felt like silk as she let the hand that wasn't washing his body rest near his belly button. At first, she didn't know that she was touching him, but as she put the cloth down she returned both hands to his chest.

"You're killing me Gilbert," Damon mumbled.

"Damon," she husked out, knowing that he wasn't going to react well to her suggest. "Look at me, please."

When he did look at her and their eyes connected she took in a sharp intake of breath. No matter if she still didn't know how she felt exactly about Stefan, or how her friends would react, and if Alec was still threatening them; Elena knew one thing, she was falling for Damon Salvatore.

"You need to drink." She let her hand slide down his bare arm, settling in his big hand. "Drink me."

His eyes turned darker and his hand squeezed hers. "You're crazy. I'm not doing that."

Damon desperately wanted to drink from Elena; however, this wasn't how he imagined his first time with her going. When he thought of drinking from Elena they were supposed to be consumed by one another, tangled in his sheets while making love to one another, possessing each other and then she would beg him to bite her neck, and he would. He would give her anything she wanted.

This wasn't how he planned to drink from her.

She moved her hair to one side and Damon thought he had gone to heaven. Was she really offering her blood and her neck to drink from? He couldn't stop the veins from showing on his face and his fangs sliding out of his gums.

"No, Elena," Damon hissed. He managed to push himself up into a sitting position, fully intending to leave the bed in a quick getaway, but it was her manicured hand that stopped him. She had put her stupid, small hand on top of his heart, and he had never been happier to have her touching him.

"Stop being difficult," she snarled.

"Stop being self-sacrificing then," he shot back. He knocked her hand off of his chest; even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. "I could kill you instantly. It's too dangerous."

He was being more difficult than Stefan was, and it killed Elena to see Damon like this. He wanted to drink from her, she could tell his vampire self did since his fangs were still showing, but he was being too stubborn, too caring.

He tried to get up again, but this time, she planted herself on top of him. Elena didn't want to hurt Damon more, but he needed to drink and if holding him down was the way to get him to drink then she would do just that.

She placed both legs on either side of him, making sure to sit low enough on his torso so that she wasn't touching any of his wounds and he scowled up at her.

"What the hell are you doing?" He hissed. Damon watched as she readjusted her hair again to one side, and leaned down so her olive neck would tempt him. "When I'm fully healed I swear to god, Elena, that I'm going to—"

He was cut off though when she leaned down even more, her chest touching his and he gasped in pain.

"Drink," she insisted.

She was so close, her smell intoxicating and possessing him. He felt like a traitor when his fangs scraped against her neck, finding the perfect spot to latch onto. He ran his hands through her hair, letting his right hand stay on her head while his left hand gripped onto her shoulder. Elena's warm breath stroked his own neck, caressing him in ways he couldn't imagine.

"I trust you. You're not going to hurt me," she spoke softly, and clutched her legs around him tighter.

His teeth pierced her soft skin, sinking right into the artery. It felt like a pinch to the neck, but as Elena closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink onto Damon; she knew her blood was working because he was no longer groaning with pain as she touched him. A little mewl escaped her mouth and then the air was taken away from her for a second. She was flipped onto her back and Damon was above her, his face buried in her neck.

Elena kept her legs wound around Damon's sides, their two lower bodies touching. One of her hands reached up and clutched onto his masculine shoulder, squeezing as hard as she could. Her heart was slowing down to match her shallow breathing.

It took every ounce of Damon's self control to stop feeding from Elena. He was usually good at controlling his bloodlust, however, when drinking Elena's blood and having her curled around his body, like he was her second skin, made him crazy. He wanted her so bad. He always did.

He dragged his face out of her neck, leaning his forehead against the top of her chest, putting his fangs away and making sure his eyes went back to normal. He felt his body healing itself and within a minute of having Elena's blood in his system, he was as good as new.

"You need blood too," he murmured against her showing skin. He looked up, flicking his bangs out of his eyes.

"You need it more," Elena whispered in a dreamy state. She slowly let her legs fall from his waist, and if Damon were human, he guessed he would feel cold from lack of contact. "Are you better now?"

Damon lifted himself so that his face was level with hers now. He was still hovering above her and Elena looked up into his eyes. He didn't answer her question though as he took in her slightly pale cheeks, bleeding neck, and ruined white shirt that had stains of dirt and blood on it.

"You're a mess," he teased, his cocky smirk revealing itself on his face.

Elena chuckled. "I can't believe I actually missed that smirk." A blush coated her face as she realized she actually said that out loud. "And for the record, you're a mess too."

"You made me drink, and now I'm making you take some." Damon swiftly bit into his wrist and held it out to Elena. She took a small amount into her mouth and it instantly healed her neck. The only remainder of Damon biting her was the smeared blood covering her neck.

Her hands were shaking as she cupped Damon's face, touching him as if it were their last time seeing one another. She knew what was coming next and she dreaded it. Tears pricked her eyes as she saw the lust, love, and desire in Damon's eyes. She wanted to match his intensity, but she knew it would only hurt more if she gave into her feelings for Damon. Instead, she pushed aside her feelings and gathered all of her strength.

Before she could speak, Damon's lips lowered down to hers, kissing the corner of her mouth tentatively. He looked at Elena to see if there were any objections, and saw none. He brought his mouth down again and kissed her directly on the mouth.

Their lips molded together and Elena's hands ran up from Damon's face to his silky hair. Even after two days of not showering, his hair was still as smooth as ever. He claimed her mouth and she let him. It was like her whole body was on fire as his lips moved with hers.

Damon's hands were everywhere on her body until finally settling on seizing her leg and running his hands up her tight blue jeans. It was the vibrating of her phone that made Damon and Elena pull apart.

"No, no, no," Damon moaned playfully. "Don't answer it."

Elena didn't want to answer her phone, but she knew that whoever was texting her late at night probably had good intentions. She looked at the text and read it out loud. "It's from Klaus. He wants everyone to meet him here tomorrow at five. He has Alec information."

"Don't mention him right now," Damon whispered soothingly. He let his hand linger on her unblemished face and smiled down at her. He seemed so carefree in that moment and Elena had guilt flood her face.

"You look so happy right now," she murmured. "And I can't be the reason for you to get hurt anymore." Elena regretted her words immediately, but she had to say them. She couldn't stand the frown on Damon's face now, but she had to keep him safe. She had to keep everyone safe. "We can't do this, Damon."

"No," he rejected her words. Shaking his head, he continued, "don't say that Elena. We _can_ be together. This just proved that."

A tear leaked down her cheek as he wiped it away. "No, we can't. I didn't listen to Alec. I didn't stay away from you and then he had you taken, tortured, and almost killed. I can't feel responsible for that. I can't be the reason for you getting hurt. Not anymore."

She had witnessed Damon's shut downs before. He contorts his face to abandonment, his eyes go wide and they sparkle, and then his rude and snarky comments come out as he pushes away everyone when he hurts. She had just witnessed this, but now, this time she was the cause of Damon shutting down.

"We're so close to being together, Elena." Since when did he beg? He didn't understand it, but he knew that he wanted her and nothing was in the way of them this time. "You're the one pushing me away. You can't blame it on Alec, Elena. Tonight proved that we can still be together, even if he is still around." He ran his hand through her hair as she turned to look away from him. "What's the real reason? Is it Stefan?"

Elena's eyes grew big and a hurt expression crossed her face. She had to realize that it was a valid question, however, they had talked about Stefan briefly before Damon was taken. She was done dragging Damon along because of Stefan. She wasn't going to just sit back and have Damon accuse her and blame all of their problems on Stefan.

"Don't go there, Damon. Don't bring Stefan into this." She shook his hands off of her, not being able to think properly with him touching her. He took that as disgust and rolled off of her, standing up quickly. For a brief moment she let herself smile that he was fully healed, but then it changed as he glared at her. "It's not about Stefan. This is about Alec and me trying to keep you safe."

"I don't need your protection!" He roared loudly. She was sure that if people were still in the boarding house than everyone could hear him.

She flinched away from him, shocked at his harsh tone. She might have been used to his stoke temper, but she wasn't use to him actually yelling.

"Damon," she soothed, reaching forward. He pulled away from her furiously.

"No!" He warned. "You don't get to sit here and act all innocent and show pity when you're the one doing this. You're the one making excuses Elena."

"I am not making excuses!" She exclaimed. "I'm trying to keep you safe. What don't you understand about that?"

"I think you're scared that for the first time in your life you actually want me just as much as I want you," he harshly barked out. He threw daggers at her with his icy blue eyes. "Either admit that or get the hell out."

"Fine," she gritted through her teeth. "I guess I'm leaving then."

She rushed down the stairs, tears in her eyes and she desperately hoped Tyler or Stefan still weren't in the parlor. Slight relief rushed through her as she checked briefly while running to the door and saw that no one was around.

Elena slowed down, taking a deep breath before grasping the door handle. Damon didn't rush after her, and so she knew that deep down, maybe Damon did understand her logic; he just didn't like it. She wasn't just throwing away a potential relationship with him. She was throwing away the bond that they shared, the connection that no one else understood, and their friendship that was based on trust. They didn't lie to one another and that was why she had to be honest with him and herself in this situation. She had to cut the ties with Damon to keep him safe.

"Elena," Stefan rasped out before she could open the door. He had another glass of alcohol in his hand and she had to wonder if he heard everything her and Damon talked about. Déjà took over as it was months ago that her and Stefan broke up because of Katherine and Damon was the one stopping her at the door to apologize. She had to wonder if Stefan was actually going to apologize for leaving with Klaus. If he did that in the moment, she didn't know how she would react.

"What Stefan?" She bit out; mad at herself for letting the tears fall for a relationship that hadn't even happened yet. She was also mad that she was crying over Damon Salvatore of all people. He was Stefan's older brother. Did that make her like Katherine? Wanting both men in her life; one as a boyfriend and the other as a friend.

If he apologized like Damon had months ago, then she would slap him. This was too much like before, just the roles were reversed for Damon and Stefan.

"He's not worth the tears, Elena," Stefan said quietly, looking down at his amber liquid before staring at her with green eyes. "He's ruthless, impulsive, and makes the wrong choices."

"He chose me, Stefan." She nearly sobbed as she defended Damon to her ex-boyfriend, his younger brother. "Does that make me the wrong choice?" She snarled before leaving the boarding house.

How dare Stefan say that about Damon? Elena got into her car and slammed the door. She shut her eyes and slammed on her steering wheel. Even after breaking off all relationships with Damon she was defending him because the people in their lives didn't give him enough credit. Yes, Damon was impulsive and snarky towards people, but he took care of the ones he cared about.

* * *

When Elena walked downstairs the next morning, Jeremy and Alaric were already at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. She poured herself some coffee before sitting next to her brother. She sent him a 'don't ask' look before Jeremy could even ask about Damon.

"So," Elena said to Alaric, "How was it actually sleeping in a bed and not the couch?" She teased him and enjoyed the small smile that ghosted across his face.

"It felt good. I was thinking this weekend we could move more of my stuff over from my loft? Is that okay?" He looked at both Jeremy and Elena. If either of them had objections with him living at their house, then he wouldn't even think about moving in all the way.

"Sounds great," Jeremy said with a huge smile.

Elena didn't say anything, but she smiled and nodded, giving Alaric a look saying that she won their mini argument the night before. He knew it too as he just rolled his eyes before speaking again.

"So, I was thinking we could talk about some ground rules then," he said. Both Jeremy and Elena looked at each other with amused faces before they realized he was serious.

"Like what?" Elena asked skeptically.

"Well for starters, we can try to not eat out as much. That's probably bad for our health. Eating at The Grill five nights a week will put us in the hospital. Second, no more skipping school. If someone skips, that's garbage duty for one whole week here. Third, Jeremy, you will get more involved at school. You have to join at least one club or organization because colleges look at that stuff when you apply in two years. And Elena, you either stick with cheerleading or switch to something else. Okay? Does that sound fair?"

Both Elena and Jeremy didn't like his last condition, but other than that, they both found the rules fair and equal. When Jeremy went upstairs to brush his teeth, Elena smiled at Alaric as she drank her coffee.

"What?" He asked. "Did I already mess up?"

"No," Elena said with a true smile. "I think you did great."

"Also," Alaric added before Elena could run out the door when Caroline arrives, "you should start looking at colleges. We can even take a few weekends and look at some of them if you want. But applications will be due in no time."

At that moment, Caroline honked her horn and Elena left for school, ignoring Alaric's college talk for the time being.

* * *

"So you and Damon are just done then?" Matt asked skeptically as him and Elena sat in math class together. They sat in the back of the room, furthest away from the teacher so they could talk. They shared a table together so they could be math partners, but really, they just drew pictures and cartoons together throughout the lesson.

"Pretty much," Elena muttered with an eye roll.

Matt snorted. "I'll pay you a hundred bucks if that ever comes true." Elena glared at him and Matt just stuck out his tongue childishly. "What? It's true. Come on Elena," he whispered, "Damon, and Stefan for that matter, can't stay away from you even if you were on fire in the sunlight and they didn't have their daylight rings."

Elena narrowed her eyes at her best friend. "Just because I talk boys with you doesn't mean you have to be blunt all the time."

Matt just shrugged his shoulders, the bell going off, indicating class was done. Mrs. Kris dismissed class, but then added, "Elena, can I see you for a couple of minutes please?"

Matt and Elena looked at one another before they said their goodbyes. Elena was the only student with Mrs. Kris now, the hallway getting louder and louder as kids poured out of their classes to head to lunch.

"Is something wrong Mrs. Kris?" Elena asked, holding her math book to her chest. Mrs. Kris was a young teacher, newly married since the summer, and she was one of Elena's favorite math teachers. Mrs. Kris was also a part-time English teacher too. Mystic Falls wasn't that big of a city and so they didn't have a big high school. They didn't need Mrs. Kris as a full time math teacher and so they split her jobs equally.

Mrs. Kris smiled brightly. "I don't know if you heard, but over this summer, I was announced at the teacher to oversee the Party Planning Committee. The school felt as if Mrs. Ellen was becoming too overwhelmed with all the organizations she oversees."

Elena didn't hear of Mrs. Ellen's being released from the job, but she knew Caroline would be disappointed since Caroline was the student who was head of the Party Planning Committee. That's how all the school dances and functions were planned.

"That's great for you Mrs. Kris." Elena said. "But what does this have to do with me? Did you want me to tell Caroline or something?" Elena knew Caroline didn't have Mrs. Kris as a teacher.

Mrs. Kris frowned for a second. "Caroline didn't tell you?" She didn't give Elena time to respond. "She stepped down from being President of the Party Planning Committee. She has been upgraded by Carol Lockwood and now she's helping Mrs. Lockwood plan our towns events." Mrs. Kris paused and dread filled Elena before she remembered Alaric's words. She either had to stick with cheerleading, which she didn't want to do, or join something else.

"I was wondering, since you were practically President your sophomore and freshman year, if you wanted to take Caroline's place?" Mrs. Kris bit her lip hopefully.

Elena knew how these clubs at school worked. A club could be started by any student, but a teacher had to be the advisor. Most advisors did nothing for the club except let the kids use their classroom for their meetings.

"Mrs. Kris?" An unfamiliar voice spoke up from the doorway.

Elena turned her head and saw a beautiful, unknown blonde standing there, holding books. She had long blonde hair that curled slightly at the tips, blue eyes that could almost pull off being gray, and she wore clothes that probably had most boys staring.

"Yes, is it Rebekah?" Mrs. Kris asked. "You're in my first period, right?"

Rebekah smiled sweetly. "Yes. And I couldn't help but overhear that you have an opening on the Party Planning Committee. I just so happen to be an expert at throwing parties. I did it _all_ the time at my old school."

Mrs. Kris smiled. "I have an idea. Would you both like to share the position? It'll take all the stress away if you two work together."

Elena looked at Rebekah and she didn't miss the glare the blonde sent her. A chill ran up Elena's spin, but shook it off once Rebekah smiled again. Maybe she was seeing things?

"I'm okay with it as long as Elena is." Rebekah waited for Elena to respond and smiled even more, showing off her perfectly white teeth.

Where did Rebekah come from? What was her last name? And why did she look vaguely familiar?

"Great!" Mrs. Kris responded. "The homecoming dance is in two weeks. The theme was picked last year. It's Good verse Evil. The color scheme is obviously supposed to be black and white. I'm running late for lunchroom duty, but our committee meeting is tomorrow during lunch. See you girls tomorrow!" Mrs. Kris practically ran out of the room.

Elena gathered the rest of her stuff. As she did that, she didn't notice Rebekah closing the door and locking it. "I'm Elena Gilbert. Are you—"

She was cut off as Rebekah rushed forward and clutched her by the throat. Red eyes and black veins filled Elena's vision as she was held off the ground, gasping for breath.

"What?" She gasped out.

Rebekah snarled harshly. "Katherine _fucking_ Pierce. I can't believe you're trying to impersonate some imaginary human. Pathetic," Rebekah spat.

Elena's hands gripped the blonde's hand, trying to tell her that she wasn't Katherine. Who the hell was Rebekah and how did she know about Katherine?

"I'm not—" Elena felt her breath slip away. "Katherine," she gasped out.

"Prove it," Rebekah hissed. "Because Katherine would deny it."

"Air," Elena wheezed "I need air…human…doppel—" She didn't even finish the word 'doppelganger' before Rebekah released her, dropping her to the floor as if she weighed nothing.

"Doppelganger?" Rebekah asked skeptically. She crossed her arms over her black lace tank top and glared at Elena.

"Can't you hear my heartbeat?" Elena rasped out, feeling her neck for sure bruises. "I'm human. I'm Katherine's shadow." Elena stood up now, feeling the cold air enter her lungs. "See?" Elena asked, showing Rebekah her wrist. "I'm even wearing a vervain bracelet." She showed Rebekah the bracelet Damon made her wear once he saw she no longer wore Stefan's necklace, even though she drank vervain on a regular basis.

Elena saw Rebekah smile, no longer critical eyes casted down upon her. "You're Elena Gilbert?"

"Yes. How did you know my last name?" She asked.

Rebekah just chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Nic has a lot of explaining to do." Rebekah picked up her belongings that she dropped when attacking Elena.

"Nik? As in Klaus?" Elena asked, trying to keep up with Rebekah when they left the classroom. "Are you an original?" Elena whispered.

"So you have heard of me," Rebekah said as she took in her school surroundings. "I'm guessing I'm one of the surprises Nic was going to reveal tonight at this little gathering." Elena stopped walking as she remembered Klaus's text the night before. She forgot about the meeting at the boarding house. "Are you coming to lunch? If you don't come then I'm going to look like a loser eating by myself," Rebekah said impatiently.

Elena nodded her head, forcing herself to not think about Damon and seeing him later that evening.

* * *

Everyone was at the boarding house except for Elena, Rebekah, Caroline, and Bonnie. The guys sat around the table, everyone drinking but Jeremy and Matt.

"You haven't told your sister this?" Damon growled in annoyance. "Sometimes you can be a real pain Little Gilbert. And what makes you even more idiotic is that you're dating the witch that brought you back to life and you still haven't told her that you're seeing dead people."

"Well it's not just dead people. It's really only Anna," Jeremy said, deciding to keep Vicki out of it for Matt's benefit. He hadn't seen Vicki since last May, and so he figured she wasn't going to appear again anyways. However, Anna seemed persistent.

"Has she said anything?" Stefan asked.

"No. She wants too, but it's like she can't. I just shrug it off." Jeremy said.

"The girls are here," Klaus said dismissively. "And do I have a treat for you Stefan."

"Oh my God," Caroline screeched, coming into the boarding house and immediately going for Damon's good bourbon.

"Hey Blondie," Damon called out. "The cheap stuff is in here for you."

Caroline huffed and Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"It's like she's replacing me! Who does Barbie think she is anyways?" Caroline grabbed the cheap bottle of alcohol on the table and sipped straight from the bottle.

"Don't ask," Bonnie warned just as Elena and a laughing Rebekah came into the boarding house.

"So we're meeting at your house to discuss the dance stuff tonight? We can get a head start on stuff so that way we are prepared for tomorrow," Rebekah confirmed just as the two entered the parlor.

"Yeah, sounds good. This meeting can't be that long," Elena said.

When the two final girls entered the parlor, Elena immediately caught Damon's eye. He gave her a quizzical look, but she looked away, and saw how Rebekah had frozen in her spot.

"Stefan," Rebekah said, as if she were in a daze. Stefan looked up; he looked just as confused as everyone else. Only Klaus knew what was happening. "Oh my God, Nic said that I would get a surprise, but…"

She trailed off and rushed over to Stefan, standing so close to him that it shocked everyone. Stefan took a step back, not recognizing Rebekah. "What's the matter? Don't you remember me? It's only been about ninety years."

"That's the twenties," Damon said in a deadpanned tone. "Stefan blacked out for that decade, too busy killing innocents and all that."

"Damon," Caroline hissed in dismay.

"Nic, you have explaining to do!" Rebekah whined, crossing her arms and stomping her foot. Klaus looked all too smug.

"I think everyone has explaining to do because I'm lost with everything!" Matt said. One minute he's getting a text from some unknown number, figuring out it was Klaus the night before with Tyler's help, then there's Rebekah who is in three out of seven of his classes, and it seems Elena and Rebekah clicked instantly and Matt didn't know if that was a good or bad thing. He knew Elena didn't need another vampire in her life, but it seemed he had no control over that. And now this blonde seemed to know Stefan, but he had no memory of her. How much more messed up could this meeting get?

"Anna's here," Jeremy said to break the silence. She was standing across from him, right behind Tyler's chair. She was smiling at him, opening her mouth to speak, but Jeremy heard nothing.

"What?" Elena and Bonnie asked at the same time.

"Surprise!" Damon said sarcastically, swallowing his last gulp of bourbon. "Your brother can see his dead girlfriend."

Elena ignored Damon's tone and turned on Jeremy. "What the hell Jeremy! How is that even possible?"

"If we knew then I'm sure one of us would bend over backwards just to tell you Elena. Of course you deserve to be the first one to know about Jeremy's predicament. You know, you deserve it because you can do something about it."

Damon was sarcastic of course, his cruel smile and ice eyes focused on Elena; taunting her by describing her as selfish.

"Don't be a dick," Alaric scolded Damon, knowing that Damon wasn't going to stop.

Elena crossed her arms, glaring at Damon just as harshly as he was looking at her. Before either could say anything else to hurt one another Klaus cut in, looking between the star-crossed lovers with a smirk.

"Well, well," he chuckled with amusement in his eyes. "Trouble in paradise already?"

Both Elena and Damon turned to glare at Klaus, their eyes never wavering with anger.

"Go to hell," they both sneered; not realizing just how much alike they actually were.

* * *

**Review please?**


	7. Chapter 7

Everyone at the boarding house seemed to be getting tired, impatient, or bored with the information Klaus has been providing the last hour. He explained how he and Rebekah knew Stefan from the twenties. He compelled Stefan to remember everything in front of everyone in the room and it was in that moment that Stefan immediately recognized Rebekah. However, there was hardly time for Rebekah and Stefan to have a reunion because Klaus kept talking.

He explained how he has a witch on their side. She's very powerful, can read the future in one way or another, and that she is willing to help them, however, she won't come to Mystic Falls because of Alec. She explained to Klaus that morning how Alec might be the most powerful being they have ever seen, however, he leads to something else that's evil too. She told them that everyone is stupid if they stick around Mystic Falls.

"So we're just supposed to run and hide?" Jeremy asked. "I guess I don't have to go to school anymore."

"That's not what he's saying," Elena said, unconvinced that they were just supposed to give up. "We're not just going to run."

"Do you have a better idea?" Damon snapped. He wasn't going to run, but he wasn't going to resist taunting and mocking Elena either.

Everyone was quiet for a moment before Elena spoke up again. "We have a witch, but Bonnie's powers have abandoned her with the spirits." Elena spoke slowly, working through her idea out loud. "Klaus has a witch in New Orleans. She won't come here, but what if Bonnie went to her. Maybe the witch—"

"Her name is Maggie," Klaus cut in.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Maybe Maggie can help Bonnie get her powers back? Maybe then we can start doing spells to help us against Alec. Is that crazy?"

"It might work," Caroline said quietly; not fully believing her words.

"It's worth a shot," Stefan said. "And right now that's the only other witch we know that would consider helping Bonnie."

"She'll do it," Klaus said.

"How do you know?" Bonnie snapped. She didn't know how she actually felt about Elena's idea. She knew it was their only shot with getting her magic back, but meeting another witch hardly worked out for her in the past. Someone always ended up getting hurt somehow.

Klaus smiled wickedly. "She's a Bennett witch. One of your cousins once or twice, or maybe even three times removed." Klaus knew what Bonnie's answer would be once he mentioned her family. "So, we leave tomorrow morning?"

"What?!" Caroline exclaimed. "She's not leaving with you!"

"And why not?" Klaus taunted.

"Because you're…_you_! You kill people. You threaten people! You're evil in the worse sense."

"I'll go too," Stefan said quietly. "We don't know how long this could take and I'll keep Bonnie safe."

"Meanwhile," Klaus said tensely. "While I'm pitching in my fair share of help. What will the lot of you be doing to prove we're all putting in equal work?"

"Don't act like you're doing everything Nik," Rebekah hissed, obviously still upset that he compelled Stefan to forget her. "You love going to New Orleans almost as much as you love killing and torturing people."

"Alec is obsessed with Elena," Matt stated.

Damon rolled his eyes, finishing off his cup of bourbon. "Stating the obvious Donovan, get to the point."

Matt glared at Damon, muttering 'dick' before continuing. "You said he wanted the Petrova book too. That's Elena's lineage. Are there any other books about the Petrova's?"

"If there were then we would have them," Damon said.

"Maybe Isobel has information about Alec?" Elena questioned Alaric. "At Duke?"

Alaric sighed, putting down his glass of alcohol. "She might. When we went months ago she had all kinds of books. Friday night I can go and get them."

"I can go too. Anything to miss the football game," Jeremy volunteered, looking at Matt and Tyler and shrugging. "Sorry guys, but football's not my thing."

"And that leaves the rest of us to retrieve the book from Alec. If he wants it, that means that we want it more," Damon said coolly.

Caroline's mouth dropped open. "Repeat."

"We're breaking into Alec's and taking back what was given to him courteous of Elena."

"By the rest of us, you mean who exactly?" Rebekah asked. "Because I've just woken up from a coffin after ninety years. I don't feel like being back in one just because you want a stupid book."

"This book could save your life in the future for all we know," Tyler said.

"We can use Matt as the distraction, since he's human and Alec will probably want to suck him dry, and then Blondie, Barbie, Mutt, and I can search his house," Damon said.

"No." Elena said firmly. "No using Matt as a distraction. If anything, I'll have to be bait. He won't hurt me as much as he would hurt you guys. There's no way that I'm letting someone else be bait."

"It's too dangerous," Stefan pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm not too keen on using any one of you guys as bait. There has to be a different way," Alaric said thoughtfully.

"Newsflash," Damon snarled. He was getting grumpy from lack of blood that day and even grumpier as he has to witness the girl he is in love with sitting across the room from him. "There are no other ways. Do you think Alec is going to just let us grab the book and run? No. He'll sense us from a mile away unless we have him distracted."

"We'll find another way, Damon," Elena hissed, standing up to match the man across the room from her. "I'm not risking anyone's life."

Damon and she had a staring contest. It was as if everyone in the room floated away while they competed for dominance in decision making. She raised her chin defiantly, tempting Damon to say something back to her. But he didn't, instead she noticed his eyes straying from hers for a second, looking her body up and down before smirking.

"Fine," he bit out. "Have it your way Elena. It's your choice after all. It's always your choice." He started walking out of the room. "But if anyone gets hurt, then know that it's going to be your fault too because of your stupid choices."

"Damon!" Stefan yelled after him, his older brother not looking back once. Stefan looked at Elena's defeated face and sighed. "He's in a bad mood," Stefan said meekly.

Tyler snorted. "Bad mood? Isn't he always like that?"

"No," Elena said more harshly than normal before her cell phone started going off. Elena looked down at the number and didn't recognize it. "Hello?" She answered.

"_Hey Elena, it's Jake…Jake Black."_

Elena didn't say anything, too confused on how the football star got a hold of her number.

Jake gave a nervous chuckle. "_I hope you don't mind me calling, but uh…judging by your lack of silence I'm starting to think you do mind."_

Elena snapped out of it. "No, of course it's fine. Everything okay? And…how did you get my number? You weren't in my address book and so I'm just caught off guard."

Jake chuckled again, this time less nervously. "_Uh, yeah, that's a valid question. I asked Caroline for your number today._" Elena glared at Caroline who shrugged sheepishly. "_But the reason why I called is that I was wondering if you were free after the game on Friday? I was thinking we could go to The Grill for coffee or something."_

Elena ran her hand through her hair, knowing that most of the people in the room could hear Jake asking her out on a date.

"_I know there's a ton of after parties, but I just thought coffee Friday night sounds better than getting drunk like every other weekend_." He kept rambling.

"Jake," Elena cut in quietly. She and Stefan technically had been over the moment he left with Klaus and then there was Alec threatening Damon if she was with him, and so she didn't know exactly where that put their relationship. And now there was an actual human, normal boy who played for her football team, asking her out for coffee. "I," she hesitated, running her hand through her hair again, "Coffee sounds great."

Everyone looking at her brought upon her decision. She had a chance to be in a normal relationship, no vampires, werewolves, or hybrids to follow her around. She knew, looking at Caroline, that she would love to be human for just one night to date a nice, human boy. Listening to Rebekah all day, talking about her past relationships and how they never worked out because of her vampire brother, made Elena want to give humans a chance. Lastly, looking into Matt's innocent eyes, reminded her that when she was with him freshman and sophomore year, she was a human girl, caught up in her own cheerleading world, and loving every minute of it.

"_Great!"_ Jake sounded thoroughly surprised and excited. "_I'll see you at school tomorrow, Elena."_

When Elena put her cell phone away, she glared at Caroline again. "You just give out my number to whoever asks for it?"

Caroline shrugged harmlessly again. "Sorry. I just assumed you could use a little fun in your nonexistent dating life."

Elena rolled her eyes. It wasn't too long after when Tyler and Matt left, and then everyone else started packing up. Elena let herself think about Damon for a second. Was he still in the house? Did he hear her conversation? She didn't hear the front door open or anyone on the stairs, and if Damon was anywhere in the house, then she knew he heard her phone conversation. The idea that he might be hurt because of it made her feel guilty.

"So if Bonnie is gone the next couple of days, who's taking her place for cheerleading?" Jeremy asked casually.

Caroline started freaking out, however, as she didn't even think about missing Bonnie in the routine that they were expected to perform in two nights. "Oh my God!" She tossed her purse over her shoulder. "You can't leave now!"

"I have too," Bonnie said. "If it means I get my powers back then I have to leave for however long it takes."

"Rebekah can fill in," Elena suggested. She was paying Caroline back for giving her number out to a guy when she wasn't even sure if she was ready to start dating. Who was she kidding, Elena knew that she wasn't ready to start dating…a human. She was more than sure she could be ready to date Damon, but it wasn't safe. As long as Alec is around, being around Damon is not safe.

"It can't be that hard. I happen to be very flexible."

Caroline stomped her foot and nearly threw a temper tantrum. "No! Absolutely not!"

"I'll work with her tonight and tomorrow. I'm sure she'll pick it up right away. I'll see you tomorrow for school." Elena grabbed her purse, following everyone out of the dining room. Stefan was right by her side, and he grabbed onto Elena's arm to stop her from walking.

"He's in the parlor still." Stefan didn't have to say Damon's name. And it confused Elena for a second. Just the other night he was telling her that Damon wasn't worth her tears and now he was telling her where Damon was located.

"You coming Elena?" Jeremy asked, looking at Stefan touching his sister. Concern was written all over his face, but Elena smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll meet you guys at home. Just give me a minute." Elena detached herself from Stefan and made her way to the parlor. She momentarily remembered that Rebekah was supposed to be coming over to her house to work on the Party Planning Committee stuff, but Elena didn't care if she was late getting there.

When she approached the parlor she saw Damon sitting on one of the many couches, a glass of untouched bourbon on the side table and he was holding a book that wasn't open. He was looking down at it, deep in thought.

"Damon?" She questioned quietly. She stood in front of him.

"What Elena?" He snapped. He glared at her as she slowly slipped the distracting book out of his hands. "You come to ask me for fashion advice for your date this week?"

He was hurt and when he was hurt, he drank. That wasn't a good combination. The image of Jeremy's lifeless body in her hands consumed her thoughts for a brief second, and she knew she had to make things right between her and Damon. It wasn't right for Alec to come between them, but on the other hand, she had to keep Damon and everyone she cared for safe.

"It's not a date," she whispered quietly. "It's just coffee with a classmate."

Damon rolled his eyes, taking a long sip from his glass. "Whatever. It won't work out anyways."

"What?" She demanded.

"Look at your track record. You dated a vampire who turned into the ripper. Then you have this crazy vampire throwing bricks through your window, declaring his obsession with you. And then you have me who practically follows you around like a dog on a leash." Damon stood up and shrugged with his smirk. "Your track record sucks."

His words stung, but she saw something in his ice blue eyes that made guilt settle in her stomach. It was only a day ago that she was saving his life and declaring her feelings for him before smashing them to the ground like a bug. She hurt him again.

"You're jealous," she stated in awe. "I hurt you and I'm sorry. But now we can both move on and live our lives. I can be a normal high school girl and you can be happy."

Damon nearly hissed at her words. She thought that he could be happy hearing her accepting some pricks proposal of a date. She was crazy for even thinking that and it made Damon even more determined to hunt down Alec and get rid of him.

He was only a breath away, towering over her as his eyes stared into her big doe eyes. Damon's hand was stroking her arm slowly, softly. He never wanted to let her go.

"Answer me one question. Just an honest answer and then you can go on living your life." He was practically pleading with her for one honest answer. This was either going to make or break him. "If there was no Alec or Stefan or any supernatural being in the way of us; would you even consider being with me? Would there be a possibility of an us?"

Elena didn't want to hurt Damon even more, although she knew that no matter what she told him, it would make them both crumble. He was asking her to be honest with him and herself. They both knew that she wasn't good at admitting her feelings; especially if her feelings had the potential of hurting herself. That was probably one of the reasons why it took her three weeks to actually come to the terms that Stefan was gone and that she was actually hurt by his abandonment.

"Damon," she whispered, cupping his face and liking the feeling of him leaning into her. "I can't play the 'what if' game. That's not fair to you or me."

Damon looked into her eyes, watching her as he held onto her. "It's right between us, Elena. The timing might be wrong, but it's definitely right between us." He pulled her closer, hearing her fast heart beat. He drew her hand to his chest, laying it over his heart. She might not be in love with him like he is with her, but he was willing to risk it all for her. "You feel this?"

Elena felt his shallow heartbeat. There had only been a few occasions when she heard a vampire's heartbeat, but somehow, feeling Damon's sent a shock through her body. "Your heart," she murmured.

"This is yours; it's beating for you right now. Figuratively speaking, you're holding a stake to it right now. It's your choice whether to push it in and tear it to shreds or to hold on tight and never let go."

It was overwhelming. She was never spoken to like this. They may be talking figuratively, but there was so much love and passion behind his words. He was so convinced that she would do the right thing when she didn't even know her full feelings for him yet.

Damon had always been Stefan's older brother; untouchable when she was dating Stefan. Yes, he helped her through the summer. They worked together, ate together, and even occasionally hung out together. He became her friend, close confidant, and shoulder to lean on. They spent hot summer nights together, watching movies and eating barbeque. She had noticed his great looks, cocky smirk, and rough personality. She accepted everything about Damon as a friend, but could she accept him as dating material? He seemed too dangerous, mysterious, and consuming when she thought of him as anything more than a friend.

"I can't have that much power over you. I'm sorry, Damon." Elena wrenched her body away from his. "It was a mistake coming here. I have to go."

Damon watched her flee from him. He either made the biggest mistake of his life by giving Elena all of the power, or he made the best choice; trusting in the fact that sooner or later Alec would be defeated and then nothing would stand in between him and Elena.

* * *

"Have you talked to Bonnie since she left yesterday?" Caroline asked Elena the moment they got out of class and started walking towards the lunch room.

"No, but Stefan sent me a very vague text." Elena cleared her throat to impersonate him, "Elena, things are going well. We'll be back by next week. Don't worry."

Caroline laughed at Elena's personality. She had rarely seen Elena's funny side since her parents' death; even when she dated Stefan, Elena had been serious. "So," Caroline drew out the word with a cat like smile. "Excited about your date tonight?"

Elena rolled her eyes, not missing the looks they were receiving in the hallways. She thought it had something to do with the fact that she was wearing her cheerleading uniform again. "It's not a date. It's just coffee."

Rebekah sidled up to her other side. "Oh please," she said with an eye roll. "You're missing a party tonight, and from what I hear, it's supposed to be a huge party, just to have coffee with one of the starting players. Plus," Rebekah added, "he hasn't been able to stop looking at you at practice."

"Not you too," she said to the blonde who was quickly becoming one of her friends. "And how do you know about the party tonight?"

"Everyone's talking about it. And I figure it's time I get to start experiencing my high school life by going to it."

Caroline snorted now. "You're practically a thousand years old. You haven't experienced enough already?"

Rebekah glared at Caroline. "I've experienced more than your big head can imagine." Rebekah spotted Tyler before Caroline did; entering the lunchroom with three other guys from the football team. Matt was with him, and Rebekah smiled. "I've got to go. I see your boyfriend and ex. I think it's time I get to meet them without talking about death and mayhem."

Caroline scoffed and stomped her foot; causing Elena to stop walking. "What the hell? Who does she think she is? She can't just go after my cheerleading squad, best friend, boyfriend, and ex boyfriend."

Elena held in a laugh. She knew Rebekah wasn't actually after Tyler or Caroline's spot as head cheerleader. "Didn't you date Matt after I broke up with him?"

Caroline narrowed her eyes childishly. "That was different. I wasn't an original bitch who is also an attention whore."

Elena was going to comment, but her breath got caught in her throat the moment she looked forward and saw Damon leaning against the doorway, a blonde girl standing before him in a low cut top. If Damon really wanted too, he could look down and Elena was sure the girl's breasts would give him the perfect show.

"I'll see you in there Care," Elena mumbled. "Don't stake her while I'm gone. You'll just end up dead too."

Caroline scoffed again. "You're not funny Elena!" She called after her friend.

As Elena got closer she recognized the girl to be the girl that was Tyler's date to her birthday beach party. She remembered Damon saying he wouldn't mind tasting her and that sent jealousy through her body. She had no right to get jealous since she told him two nights previous to live his life like she was living hers, but seeing the girl flirting blatantly for Damon caused her to narrow her eyes.

"Hey!" She plastered on a smile, her eyes vicious as she looked at the blonde bombshell in front of her. She crossed her arms, knowing full well her toned stomach was showing and her breasts looked that much fuller because of her uniform. For a moment, she was happy Caroline made it mandatory to wear their uniforms to school. "Am I interrupting?"

"Elena?" The girl questioned, looking her up and down. She had a smile on her face and Elena remembered that the girl actually was nice, no matter how much she liked flirting. "You look amazing! I didn't know you were a cheerleader again."

"Thanks!" Elena said. "I'm just filling in for the week."

"Actually," Damon said sweetly, his eyes dilating as he stared down at the other girl. "Elena and I have to talk. You don't remember seeing me. I was never here. Now go talk to some other guy."

The girl nodded her head before walking off in a daze. Elena didn't approve of Damon's methods of shooing away a girl, but deep down she felt pride in knowing he wanted to talk to her.

"Why are you here Damon?" She asked, finally uncrossing her arms again.

Damon looked around at all the kids coming and leaving the lunchroom. "Not here. Come on," he said, grabbing her hand without giving her time to protest and dragging her to underneath the stairs. No one was around, and Elena figured this was going to be as private as they could get. She couldn't ignore the fact that her back was pressed against the wall and his hands were near her face, trapping her from leaving.

"It turns out the quarterback and mutt aren't useless after all," he husked out quietly so unnecessary ears didn't hear him.

"What do you mean? And stop calling them that. They have actual names."

"Fine," Damon nearly whined playfully. It was as if their moment two nights ago never happened. Elena was having whiplash with his mood swings. One moment he's rude and mean towards her, then he's declaring his love to her, and now he's acting as if nothing happened between them. "Anyways, Tyler asked Carol about new residents in Mystic Falls, and there's only one mansion on the outskirts of town that has been bought."

"You think that's Alec?" Elena asked.

"Bingo," Damon said with a smirk. "Apparently, Carol even met the guy who bought the house, and he fits Alec's description perfectly. She even mentioned him making an appearance at the football game tonight."

"What, why?" Elena blurted out. "Why would this vampire want to be at a high school football game?"

"No idea," Damon said. "But I'm going to find out tonight. He won't be the only vampire at the football game."

Elena placed her hand on Damon's arm, rubbing soothingly without even realizing it. "Damon," she pleaded. "Don't do anything stupid. We can't be impulsive, and with Stefan and Klaus gone, and Tyler and Caroline busy tonight during the game, you don't have any other muscle backing you up if something happens."

Damon scoffed, playing off Elena's words with a cool façade. "I don't need any more muscle. Have you seen my guns?"

Elena didn't buy Damon's strong face; letting a sigh escape her mouth. "You're going to get hurt, maybe even killed because of your impulsiveness." Before Damon could respond, Elena's eyes went wide as she looked past Damon. "Or maybe he's going to skip the football game and come now."

Damon sensed him behind his back and he whirled around, blocking Elena efficiently. "Aren't you a little old for high school?" Damon taunted. Elena saw Damon's taut back and stiff muscles. His hands were ready for a brawl in the middle of her school. She highly doubted Caroline, Rebekah, and Damon could compel her whole school to forget two vampires fighting.

"It would be best if you both came with me before your friends suffer the consequences," Alec warned. "I have somewhere private we can talk…somewhat peacefully."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Do you really think we're willingly going to talk to you?"

Alec opened up his jacket, revealing wires and a ticking bomb. "Yes," he answered menacingly. "I do. You may heal quickly, but do you really think you can get Elena out of here safely before I can pull the trigger?"

"Damon," Elena whispered. "It's okay." She grabbed his fist, smoothing out his stiff hand. It took Elena a minute longer to coax Damon into following Alec, but he finally agreed with a tight lip jaw.

When they approached the history wing, both Elena and Damon had a suspicious feeling they were being lead to Alaric's classroom. It should be empty due to lunchtime, but when they stepped inside their group was sitting at desks.

Elena's heart pounded further as she spotted her brother. She looked at him with her eyes and he nodded his head, letting her know that he was okay. Matt was sitting next to Jeremy; Rebekah not far away while Tyler, Caroline, and Alaric filled some of the other seats.

"The gangs all here," Alec smiled gleefully, taking a seat on the edge of Alaric's desk. "Except the witch and hybrid. Where are they?" He hissed.

No one answered and it was obvious Alec was growing impatient. "Where are they?!"

"We don't know," Matt said hoarsely.

"My brother doesn't attend school," Rebekah spoke quietly. "Nik never found it amusing."

Alec looked at the two of them and Elena was worried for them. The image of Matt being thrown through a doorway scorched her memory.

"What are we doing here? Haven't you done enough yet?" Elena hissed.

"I'm here to send a message," Alec finally said, looking over the room with delight shining through his eyes. He obviously didn't see any of them as a threat or else he wouldn't be so laid back about this meeting. "In eight months the veil will be brought down and you all will suffer and die painful deaths. There's no denying that."

Alec stood, holding Alaric's pen in his hands, playing with it absentmindedly. "The message isn't from me. In fact, it's from my creator, so listen up so I don't have to repeat myself. Stop trying to win. Stop trying to stop me. I will destroy each and every one of you until there's nothing left between me and Elena."

"Like hell," Damon growled, standing up. He was ready for a fight, but it took less than half a second for Alec to throw the pen into Damon's chest. It hit him right in the heart and everyone was thankful that it wasn't wood to kill him. Normally, a pen to the front wouldn't slow Damon down, but he was used to Stefan stabbing him, hardly stabbing him because of his bunny diet. When Alec threw the pen, however, he made sure the pen went all the way through Damon so that the end of the utensil hardly showed.

Damon growled harshly as he pounced on Alec, fighting through the pain. He sent a painful punch to Alec's body before the other vampire blocked him and threw him against the back of the room.

"Make no mistake; it's not time for the massacre yet. That will come sooner rather than later. You have been warned."

Alec was out of the classroom before anyone else could say something.

"You have been warned?" Tyler asked with disgust. "What the fuck? That guy has to be gone soon. I'm tired of being treated like that."

Damon stood up, looking at his ripped shirt. The pen was lodged deep into his skin and it was going to be a bitch to get out by himself. Elena rushed to his side, though, and her fingers were on his chest before he could comprehend what she was doing.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. Her eyes looked up into his face and pure concern shadowed her face.

"I'm fine. Just a little scratch." Damon wasn't lying. He had been staked with much bigger things than a stupid pen.

"Here, let me see it." Elena said, fighting with Damon's hands to get under his shirt.

"I'm fine, Elena," Damon said. "I can get it myself. A little blood bag will heal it just fine."

"Just let me help," Elena hissed, not understanding why he was being so stubborn. It took a few more seconds before she got her hands under his shirt and she was rolling up the ripped, black material to expose his injured chest.

"That's hot," Rebekah sighed as she watched Damon and Elena struggle.

Caroline crinkled her nose. "Eww. I've been there, done that and believe me, it's not hot with Damon."

"Maybe you just do it wrong then," Rebekah taunted back.

* * *

Elena was wishing she brought a change of clothes with her for after the game. When she was at the pep rally before the game she nearly forgot that after the game she was expected to get coffee with Jake. It wasn't that Elena didn't find him attractive or nice, but he slipped her mind as she thought about running into Damon at school. It was as if Jake were the opposite of Damon. He had blonde hair with brown eyes, a complete jock that played football and ran track, and he was social with a lot of people at school. And now she was entering The Grill with him in her cheerleading uniform while he wore his letterman jacket and one of their many school football t-shirts.

When they walked in she wasn't expecting to see Rebekah already sitting at the bar while Matt was behind the counter, having a stern conversation with his boss. Elena saw the hurt look on Matt's face, and she had to remind herself to talk to him later about that. She was hoping his boss wasn't giving him a hard time for playing football. She knew the owner of The Grill wasn't the most easygoing person.

And then she saw Damon sitting at the end of the bar, a glass of bourbon in front of him with a half full bottle on his other side.

"Want to sit at a table or booth?" Jake asked. Nearly everywhere was open for them.

Elena bit her lip. She couldn't sit close to Damon; knowing he would hear everything. She couldn't take his judgment at the moment. Somehow she felt dirty getting a friendly cup of coffee with Jake.

"Let's sit in a booth," Elena decided, leading him to the furthest booth away from the bar. "This looks good."

She slid into her side of the booth while Jake sat opposite of her. "You performed really well tonight. I snuck out of the locker room to watch."

Elena blushed, but before she could say anything, Matt appeared. He was supposed to be the busboy, but since the Grill was nearly empty, he was also a waiter. "Hey Matt! I thought you had the night off because of the game?"

Matt shrugged his shoulders and looked around to make sure his boss wasn't within hearing distance. "I did, but then the prick called me and told me to come in before I lost my job. Can I get you guys anything to drink or eat?"

"Two coffees, man," Jake said. He nodded at Matt. "Nice game tonight. You played amazing."

"Thanks," Matt said before swinging his rag over his shoulder. "I'll be right back with your drinks."

"So," Jake said casually. He spread out his arms, draping them over the booth to make himself more comfortable. "You're planning homecoming this year, right?"

"Yeah. Rebekah, the new girl, and I are planning it together. The theme this year is Good verse Evil. I guess we voted on it last year, although I don't remember doing that," Elena rambled on and on until Matt came back to rescue her from talking too much.

"Here you guys go." Matt also laid out two pieces of cake, and they just so happened to be Elena's favorite kind. One was confetti cake with white frosting and the other was a red velvet cake with a cream cheese frosting.

"We didn't order these," Jake said, already pushing the plates back into Matt's hands.

"They're from the guy at the bar," Matt winked at Elena before he left.

Elena glared at the pieces of cake while Jake looked at Damon for a brief second. "Isn't that Stefan Salvatore's brother?"

"Yeah," she said quietly. "That's Damon."

"But I thought you and Stefan were over?" Jake asked.

"We are," she assured him.

"Okay," Jake smiled. "Then here goes nothing," Jake rubbed his hands together. "Do you want to go to homecoming with me?"

Elena must have looked like a fish out of water as her mouth opened then closed and then opened again. "Um…excuse me?" She asked quietly before realizing how rude she actually sounded. "I'm sorry. That must have sounded very rude of me."

Jake chuckled. "No. That's fine. You can be rude all you want to me as long as you say 'yes'."

Elena blushed, looking down at her cup of coffee. "Jake," she sighed. "I…I…" Elena stuttered to find the correct set of words. "Jake, I don't even know if I'm going. There's just a lot of stuff going on right now and I hardly even have time to plan this dance, much less go to it."

"I don't believe that," Jake said with a smile. "I think you're just trying to let me down easy. Tell me," Jake joked, "Is there another guy?"

She didn't think her face could heat up even more, but from her neck to her cheeks blood pooled everywhere. "Not technically…It's complicated, actually."

"I understand," he said. "I just thought I'd try with you since this is like the first time you've been free all of high school." Jake sent her a smile and she felt bad, but she was pretty sure her heart was starting to belong to someone else.

It was a little awkward after the homecoming discussion, but soon they fell into a comfortable atmosphere; talking, laughing, and joking around. She had Jake in a few of her classes previous school years, although she had always just been casually nice to him. She didn't know much about him except for the fact that he played football with Matt and was good at it. Now she knew more about it and it wouldn't be awkward in the halls when she saw him next at school.

"So I don't get it," Jake said while picking at his piece of cake still. "If there's another guy, why aren't you two together?"

Elena chewed her bottom lip. She didn't know how she ended up talking boys with Jake, but she decided to just go along with it. "Like I said, it's very complicated and other people are involved."

Jake raised an eye brow. "Sounds to me like you're making excuses. What's wrong with the guy that you have to do that?"

"Nothing," Elena insisted, but then she grew quiet. "Well, sort of nothing. He can be rash and difficult and rude."

Jake snorted before Elena could finish. "And you're into this guy, why? He sounds like a jackass. I feel a little wounded that you'd turn me down for him."

"But he's not always like that. In fact," Elena kept talking, trying to work through her emotions and feelings out loud rather than inside her head. She had word vomit and she couldn't stop. "That's what Damon wants people to see. But really, deep down, he's an amazing person. He loves with his whole heart, cares about people even though they don't forgive him that easily, and he's Stefan's older brother."

Jake let out a big breath. "Yikes, that's a messy situation."

Elena agreed. "You have no idea."

"If it means anything to you, and even if it doesn't, I'm going to say it anyways. We only live once. You might as well be happy while you're living; especially in Mystic Falls. It seems as if our town has a death sentence."

When The Grill was closing, Elena hadn't even noticed just how late it actually was. "Wow," she said, watching as Matt put all the stools on top of the tables. Rebekah was still at the bar, probably waiting for Matt. Elena had a feeling the blonde was into him. And Damon was still at his side of the bar. "I didn't know it was that late." Elena couldn't get Jake's words out of her head. This was definitely a strange night for her since she was so used to getting her friends' advice; not some classmates advice. But she found Jake's advice helpful.

"Yeah," Jake smiled. "I'll walk you to your car."

Elena looked at Damon's back, hesitating between letting Jake, her new friend, walk her to her vehicle and Damon, who was listening to every word she was speaking.

"Actually, Jake, there's someone I have to talk to." Jake followed Elena's gaze and smiled.

"Go get'em Elena. He's stupid if he turns you down."

"Thanks Jake." Elena made her way over to Damon, sitting down on the bar stool next to him. He glanced at her with a quirked eye brow.

"Your date done?" He asked. He slurred his words just a little bit and Elena knew he had more than just one bottle of bourbon if he was tipsy. She had only seen him like this a few times, and it never was good.

"Are you drunk?" She asked. "I thought you were scoping out Alec's place?"

"No need to do that when he threatens you with a ritual and massacre in the morning. Looks like we're going to have our plate full this year." Damon turned towards her and smirked. "And yes, I'm a little drunk."

Elena furrowed her brow.

"Oh no," Damon said dramatically. "Don't give me that look."

"What look?"

"That judgmental look. I don't need it nor want it. Especially after I got stabbed with a fucking pen today, right in the heart."

"Did you heal after I got it out? Or do you need more blood?" Elena whispered, holding onto his arm. "Because we can go to the bathroom and you can drink from my wrist."

Damon almost looked disgusted at her wrist. "No," he grunted. "I don't want blood Elena." He stood up and grabbed the bottle of alcohol to take with him. "What I want is for you to figure out your damn feelings and to stop stringing me along. That's all that I want."

He left before she could utter another word. How had she managed to work up enough courage to talk to him and then within a matter of seconds, he seemed to be able to shoot her down? She felt tears prick her eyes and knew that Damon probably didn't hear her conversation with Jake if he was drunk. Did she really just lose her chance to tell him how she felt?

* * *

**Author's Note-Thanks for reviewing. This chapter gave me whiplash with Damon and Elena, but don't worry. They will soon work it out for good...in their own weird way. Leave a review and tell me what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note-Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope you guys like this chapter; especially the ending scene. Let me know what you think! Homecoming dance is the next chapter, and we all know how dances go in Mystic Falls...not good.**

* * *

"Oh my God," Matt panted as he followed behind Elena, trying to catch up from whatever they were running from. "Elena, will you just stop for once?"

Elena was breathing heavily, but she wouldn't stop until they reached the corner. She pushed herself further, moving her long legs faster to get her heart and blood pumping. She pretended as if she were running for her life when in reality, she was only running from one vampire: Damon.

When they reached the corner, Matt threw his hands behind his head. "Even though I play football, we still don't do this much running," he told her.

Elena looked at her watch, and she smiled in accomplishment before taking her music headphones out of her ear. "We're already cutting our time down. My mile is looking pretty good right about now for never running this past year."

Matt narrowed his eyes. "Want to tell me what you're running from? Or is it who you're running from?"

Elena grabbed the water bottle from Matt's hands. "I'm just running. Alaric wants to train me to defend myself and he said I had to start running. That's it."

The weekend had come and gone. She hadn't been able to get a hold of Damon once. She didn't just barge into the boarding house like she would have used too because she figured if Damon wanted to talk to her then he would have answered her seven calls. Now it was Tuesday night, only four more days until homecoming and she still didn't have a date.

"Come on," she said, "we should walk back to the boarding house. Bonnie returned today and she has some news for us."

Matt smiled as he took the water bottle back. "I hope the news consists of getting her magic back. I think we could all use some hope right now."

Elena nodded her head, looking at Matt and his soft blue eyes. He looked so innocent and untouched by all the supernatural crazies in their town. "Can I ask you a question, and you promise to be completely honest with me?"

Matt narrowed his eyes playfully. "I have a feeling we're going to be talking boys again, right?"

Elena blushed, but she didn't let that stop her from talking to Matt. She trusted him and relied on her best friend to answer her truthfully.

"What do you think of Damon?"

Matt raised an eye brow and snorted. "The guy's a dick. He comes into the bar with Mr. Saltzman and he's just rude and arrogant. The way he treats people; it's like he thinks they're beneath him sometimes."

Elena chuckled humorlessly. "I didn't ask you to hold back. Tell me how you really feel," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry, Elena," Matt said helplessly. "It's been months, but he turned me sister. He _killed_ Vicki."

Elena knew that Matt was going to bring that up and that was partly the reason why she was asking for his opinion. Matt was able to find the good in all people, much like herself, and if he saw anything good in Damon he would tell her. She knew Damon hurt Matt in the past and now was the time to see if Matt found any redeeming qualities in the vampire.

Matt sighed; looking at Elena's defeated face as they neared the boarding house. "But," he ran his hand through his damp hair, "he's changed too. We all have nonetheless, but Damon has changed the most. He would do anything for you and Stefan. I think even Caroline sees that. And when he does let his humanity show, he's actually a cool guy to hang around; besides the fact that he will always be a huge dick."

"I know how hard it must be to be around him, Matt." Elena stopped walking and put her hand on Matt's arm to comfort him. "It can't be easy and I don't ever expect you to forgive him when it comes to Vicki, but I appreciate your honesty."

"Sure thing. You know you can talk to me about anything."

Elena smiled before pushing him slightly. "Race you back. Last one there owes the other ice cream!"

They raced each other like two old, best friends. Elena didn't think she had ever run that fast, but she knew Matt was right behind her. Before she could open the door to the boarding house, Matt was right behind her, throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her inside, her legs up in the air, kicking and laughing.

"Hey!" She snarled lightheartedly. "Put me down Donovan!"

He didn't put her down until they were in the parlor with everyone else. When she was standing on two feet again, she knew she probably looked like a mess. Her pony tail was nearly falling out, her straps on her sports bra were tangled and her skin was glistening with sweat from her run.

"Bonnie?" She questioned before her friend came bouncing over to her and gave her a huge hug. "I'm glad you're back!"

Bonnie pulled away. "I am too. And you should really go towel off. You and Matt. You two are disgusting. What? Did you just run a marathon?"

"Training," Matt explained before heading towards one of the many bathrooms of the house. "I'll grab you a towel, Elena." Everyone had been over to the boarding house so often lately that they all just sort of made themselves at home.

"Sure!" Damon said sarcastically. "Just go help yourself quarterback!"

Elena adjusted her straps on her shoulders while grabbing her white sweatshirt and holding it in front of her chest. She all of a sudden felt very exposed as she realized everyone in their gang was in the parlor. She couldn't help but notice Damon's eyes trailing over her olive skin; leading to her short black shorts.

"Here Gilbert," Matt said, whipping the towel at her face. She caught it before it could actually hit her though.

"Thanks," she murmured before patting herself off and slipping her sweatshirt back on. She longed for a shower, but first, Bonnie had to fill them in on the information she received.

"Great," Klaus said with a smirk. "Now we can start. I have places to be."

Caroline snorted, "Places? Oh please, you probably just have to go compel more people to finish furnishing your mansion."

"Do you two have to act like twelve year olds?" Rebekah asked in a bored tone. "There are much bigger problems on our hands."

"Wow," Stefan said, impressed. "I'm glad to see that you are actually are taking Alec seriously now."

Rebekah rolled her eyes, blowing on her wet nails. "As if. I was talking about homecoming. Elena and I got through most of it over the weekend. There's just minor things that have to be tweaked."

"Can we please focus on the witch instead of Barbie's social life?" Damon pointed out.

"I agree. Some of us have jobs that we have to get too," Matt threw in.

"Okay," Bonnie agreed, settling down and crossing her hands. "I got my magic back. I wouldn't be here right now if that didn't happen."

"Okay, skip a head _Sabrina_."

Bonnie glared at Damon before continuing. "Maggie had a lot to offer, and she ended up knowing more about the massacre and veil. The veil will drop down this boarder that allows any dead supernatural being to come back to our world. They're trapped in some dimension, allowing them to just be ghosts, but come May time, during the blue moon, the veil will be dropped. However, it can only be dropped if Alec succeeds in the massacre that will occur in January."

"Is that where Anna is? In that dimension?" Jeremy asked. "Maybe that's what she's been trying to tell me."

"It makes sense," Stefan said. "The dimension isn't a pleasant place if you're a supernatural being that's killed. The dimension was made to act like a jail for other beings if they wronged people."

"So basically," Alaric summed up skeptically, "all these monsters want to come back and make our world hell?"

"Exactly," Klaus said grimly. "Which is why we're not going to let that happen."

Damon narrowed his eyes, "I don't suppose the witch told you how to stop the massacre or even what the massacre is?"

Bonnie nodded bleakly. "Underneath Fell's Church, where the tomb vampires were kept, there's mystical energy down there. As long as a witch, werewolf, doppelganger, vampire, and original die down there on this one night in January, then some ball of energy will start to form. It'll get so huge that night that when the last drop of blood is spilled from these five beings then the ball of energy will kill everyone who lives in Mystic Falls. No matter if they're innocents inside their houses, kids playing at the park, or if someone's just driving through Mystic Falls. Everyone," Bonnie said unevenly, "will die that night."

"Oh god," Matt whispered.

"So," Jeremy said with a hint of teasing in his tone. He didn't know how to handle the news without joking. "I guess running sounds like a good idea."

Caroline glared at him as her mind worked into overdrive. "So it's simple," she said optimistically. "Witches, werewolves, and vampires are easy to come by. We just have to hide the originals and Elena. Problem solved."

"Hide me until January?" Elena asked. "No way. That's not going to work."

"Besides," Bonnie said. "Elena isn't the only doppelganger. He can always find Katherine. The witches he's working with are powerful. They can easily do a locater spell. And even so, it doesn't have to be a Petrova doppelganger. As for the originals," Bonnie turned towards Klaus, "how long ago did you check on Elijah, Finn, and Kol?"

"I called my witch and she said that all three coffins are accounted for."

"So we can assume if Alec doesn't go after the coffins then he's going to use Rebekah," Tyler said. "Because Klaus probably doesn't count since he's a hybrid now."

"Right," Bonnie agreed. "You guys," she murmured. "Maggie showed me pictures of the massacre from the past. She gave them to me in a vision, and although the massacres never succeeded, death was inevitable on both sides. It's bloody and dangerous and I don't know if we'll win."

"Where's your optimism?" Damon mocked. "Alec has nothing on us if it's just him and a few witchy bitches on his side."

"I say we fight," Tyler said. "He'll want to use us in the massacre I bet, but he can't if we fight him."

"He's been preparing this massacre for the ritual for over a hundred years. If we fight, there's no telling what he'll do," Klaus warned gravely.

"I can try to use my magic on him for a while. Maybe that'll slow him down." Bonnie suggested, all of a sudden getting an optimistic tone. "Maggie is showing me some cool stuff and she really helped. She said that if I see her every weekend then we can continue the lessons. The magic is called expression."

"That's black magic," Rebekah pointed out, shocked beyond belief. "It'll turn you."

"Maybe not," Bonnie shot back. "She said as long as I control it and it doesn't control me then I'm safe. She uses it all the time. It won't kill Alec, and I'm not sure if it'll stop him, but I can keep trying."

"Is it really black magic?" Jeremy asked with concern.

"I'll be fine," Bonnie assured him with a small smile.

No one spoke. No one said anything for a while; letting what Bonnie and Klaus said sink in. Elena leaned back in her seat, curling her feet underneath her. No one said it out loud but she was pretty sure everyone was thinking it.

"No matter what; no matter if we stop the massacre or fight during it, some of us will die. Maybe even before the fight someone will die." Elena stood up, letting her towel that she was holding fall to the floor at her feet. "Alec won't stop until he gets what he wants." She started walking out of the room. "I'm calling it a day. I'll see you guys later."

"She's just giving up already?" Rebekah exclaimed. "My life and hers are in danger and she's just calling it a day? Where's her energy, her fight?"

"Let's see," Caroline snapped, defending Elena's mood change. She knew her friend would bounce back, but hearing this news probably sent a shock through her body. The last time she was put into a ritual, she ended up dying while watching her only family guardian die too. "Her fight probably gave out the moment your brother sucked all the blood from her body. She's probably tired of people threatening her life and her friends and family."

Rebekah was quiet, letting Caroline's words sink in. Rebekah didn't make friends easily because of Nik in the past, but she liked Elena's spunk and fire at school; not to mention she liked fitting so easily into Elena's life. They were becoming friends and even now, Nik was still getting in the way of her happiness with true friends.

* * *

At school on Friday, Elena was in a much better mood. She found that by working out with Alaric in the mornings and evenings really helped her feel better and stronger. She was eating on a regular basis; not that it was always healthy food, she was running with Matt when he didn't have work, and she was actually starting to enjoy cheerleading again the more she bonded with her older friends on the team. She was glad Rebekah decided to stay on the team too.

"So I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer," Caroline said when it was just her, Bonnie, Rebekah, and Elena after practice, "but we need more information on Alec. Like, why is he so interested in the Petrova book still? What's his next move? We haven't seen him in a while."

"I think that's perfectly fine that we haven't seen him," Rebekah said. "The dance is tomorrow and so we don't have to see him."

"The dance," Elena groaned. "Is it bad that I put that in the back of my mind?"

"No," Bonnie assured right when Rebekah said "Yes" at the same time. "You have a lot on your plate right now," Bonnie said. "I'm just glad Maggie's not upset that I have to miss our second lesson. I'm excited for the dance tomorrow."

Elena smiled. "You and Jeremy good? I know it threw you off that he's seeing Anna again."

Bonnie shrugged. "We talked; he said that it means nothing since he's sure she's just trying to help. I believe him."

"Good," Caroline beamed. "Now I'm going as an angel tomorrow. An all white dress with a halo tiara to accompany my hotness. What about you guys?"

"I've chosen the obvious. A black dress with a witch's hat. I'm supposed to be evil, but with the dress I have it just makes me look like a normal witch."

"You couldn't be evil even if you tried Bonnie Bennett," Elena scolded lightly, joking around with Bonnie like old times. "What about you Rebekah?"

"Of course I'm going as the most beautiful Goddess. Helen of Troy." Rebekah smirked. "She was supposed to be the most beautiful woman of the world. I have the perfect dress in storage that Nik kept. It's a white, off the shoulders dress with a gold trim. Matt and I will be the perfect looking couple."

Caroline started coughing. "You and Matt? Since when did his boss start letting him take off of work? He's a fucking stickler. Vicki wasn't even allowed to take off of work after she had been in the hospital because of an _attack_."

Rebekah stood with her hands on her hips, looking triumphant. "He started giving Matt the perfect schedule with a pay raise when I used a little persuasion. Matt can now play football and go to town events without worrying about losing his job."

Bonnie changed the subject quickly. "So, Elena," she made her best friend blush. "Stefan or Damon? Who did you finally ask?"

Elena shrugged. "No one. I'm setting up the dance tomorrow morning, which all of you are helping; eight in the morning sharp, and then I'm staying home and binge eating my ice cream. I'll have the house to myself since Alaric is the head chaperone and Jeremy will be with you Bon."

"You might as well ask Stefan," Caroline said, crossing her arms. "He's on the homecoming court and so he has to go."

Homecoming court was a court that consisted of the top ten seniors that the school voted on. The top girl and top boy became Queen and King of the school. No one knew who the Queen or King was until the announcing of the court at the dance.

"And you have to be there too, missy." Bonnie scolded lightly. "You're on the court!"

"I'll think about it, okay?" Elena said. She was fibbing about staying home. But she didn't' need her friends to know what she was doing after practice. She had given her plan a lot of thought the past couple of days and now she couldn't back out. "I have to go home and shower. I'll see you guys tomorrow! Early in the morning, I'll bring coffee and doughnuts." Elena turned around once more, smiling and waving. "And a blood bag for Rebekah and Caroline."

"She's chipper," Rebekah pointed out. "She's planning something."

"Maybe she is asking Stefan," Caroline said.

Bonnie shook her head, already knowing what her friend was probably planning on doing. Elena was like an open book, and if it wasn't Stefan that she was asking, there was only one other vampire who Elena wanted to be with.

"You're so wrong, Caroline."

* * *

"I hate these things," Alaric hissed to Damon as they approached the Mayor's home. He adjusted his jacket before pocketing his hands and pulling out a flask. He took a sip and offered some to Damon who accepted as usual.

Damon smirked at Alaric's discomfort. "You're the one who wanted to join, remember?"

"Only because I'm the Gilberts' guardian now. They deserve to have a family member on the council. Their family deserves it."

Damon rolled his eyes at his friend's noble words. "Be careful, Ric," Damon taunted. "You're humanity is showing."

Alaric ignored Damon's words. "Why do they need to make these meets so fancy?"

"If you think this is fancy?" Damon said as he walked right into Carol's home, "Then wait until the first Founders Party of the season, then you'll have to show up for the _whole _party and then stay for the meeting. It's quite boring," Damon said offhandedly. He led Alaric to the study where the meets were always held.

When they both entered, all heads turned in the room. They were five minutes early, but to Carol, that was ten minutes late.

"What's Saltzman doing here, Carol?" A man asked, known to be Pastor Young.

Carol smiled, tight lipped before taking a sip of her hard liquor beverage. Damon loved a woman who could drink her weight in hard liquor.

"I told you we had a new comer today, Pastor," Liz cut in. She narrowed her eyes to challenge Pastor Young, but it was a Fell that cut in. The town council did not like new members at all. Alaric felt out of place as he noticed nearly everyone was looking him over. He felt under dressed as he noticed the business suits and dress shirts with ties in the room.

"He's not even from a founding family."

"I'm Elena and Jeremy Gilberts' guardian. I have a right to fill in. The Gilberts have a right to have someone represent them," Alaric bit out icily. He raised his chin and looked everyone in the eye. "I know about the vampires, werewolves, and all the deaths you people cover up. It's time I take my place on the council."

"I second that," a woman's voice spoke out. She stood up, and Damon didn't even recognize her. She must have been new and since no one was giving her a hard time, he figured she must be a part of some founding family. "Meredith Fell," she introduced to everyone. "I'm the new doctor, Logan was my brother."

"Of course," Damon whispered to Alaric. "She's off the market for you man. You killed her brother."

"He takes care of the Gilberts and Elena is hardly eighteen. She's too young to be roped into our business. The Gilberts need a voice, and so he stays."

Carol and Liz nodded their heads in agreement. "If anyone has any problems with that, they can see me, Liz, or Damon after the meeting," Carol announced before smiling at Alaric and Damon. "Alaric, please take a seat while Damon starts the meeting off right."

"Thanks Carol," Damon said smoothly, giving her a wink that got her heart accelerating.

After the two hour meeting, Damon was driving Alaric back to the boarding house where Alaric's car was parked. "So we need to know what Meredith's deal is," Damon broke the silence. "If she's evil I need to know so that way I can kill her sooner rather than later."

Alaric glared at Damon. "You're not going to kill her. She's a good one Damon. She's a doctor for Christ sakes."

Damon shrugged with a smirk, parking his car smoothly. "That's never stopped me before. You want to figure her out or do you want me to do it?"

Alaric slammed the door, knowing that would make Damon a little irritated. "I'll do it. I can at least be a gentleman about it."

Damon chuckled, "You? Never."

"Whatever," Alaric said, walking to his car. "You're a dick."

"I know!" When Damon walked into the house, he found that something was off. He could hear a human heart and Stefan wasn't home. His sports car wasn't in the garage, and Damon wondered where his baby bro could have gone off too. When he walked into the parlor, a smirk took over his face, hiding his confusion. Elena was hunched over the fireplace, starting it quickly. He smiled proudly, knowing he taught her how to do it weeks ago. "This is a pleasant, but weird surprise."

Elena spun around; her heart racing as she nearly dropped the fireplace poker she was holding. He scanned the room, seeing that there was a glass of blood on the side table right next to a glass of bourbon. On the coffee table, there was a bowl of pop corn, and with a sniff of his nose he could smell the added butter and salt, two DVDs, and underneath one of the movies he saw a corner to a ticket.

When she cleared her throat and stood before him nervously, keeping the ten feet of distance between them, she smiled meekly. "I hope you don't mind, but Stefan said that he wouldn't be home tonight, something to do with talking to Klaus about being compelled for a decade in the twenties and then he said make myself at home, and I knew you were at the council meeting, but I decided to wait. Drink?" She rushed through her words, holding up both the glass of bourbon and blood.

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was wearing a blue tank top that had light blue floral designs on it, a white ruffled skirt that was decorated with a brown leather belt around her tiny waist. The tank top dipped low in the front, giving him enough view of her cleavage if he was standing right in front of her, but not enough to let him imagine what was actually underneath. Her skirt showed off her perfectly tan legs, coming up to her mid thigh and he could just imagine running his hands underneath the thin material.

She stepped closer with a puzzled look on her face. Her hair wasn't stick straight like usual, and he smelled her closer now, knowing she had taken a shower and decided to let her hair be natural that night.

"Are you okay?" She asked. They were only a few feet away, natural talking distance. She weighed the cups in her hands. "Do you want a drink?"

He took the bourbon from her hand and she smiled triumphantly. "Thanks," he mustered out through nearly clenched teeth. She put the glass of blood down on the other side table. "What are you doing, Elena?"

"Well," she teased lightly, a true smile on her delicate face. "I am trying to get you drunk and then take advantage of you. But really," Elena said with a giggle, "I'm not so sure you want me here."

Damon had given her all the power. Yes, they had to deal with one another because it seemed in the universe that was inevitable. They hadn't talked, that was due to him not answering her calls. He didn't want to hear her turn him down through the phone. It was easier to ignore her rather than realize he was being turned down by her…again. He didn't understand what she was doing, however, as he took in the parlor and how familiar it looked. It was as if she really did make herself at home, and that confused him and made him smile at the same time.

"Here," Elena said, taking his available hand and leading him to the couch. "Just sit down, and just listen, please." She batted her doe eyes at him without knowing that she had complete control over him in that moment. She could do anything and he would go along with it. "For me?"

He nodded his head, his eyes going slightly wide as he evaluated the room. He was practically OCD when it came to cleanliness. Stefan often made fun of him, and so when he surveyed just how messy the table looked because of Elena, it surprised him that he didn't care all that much.

"This is John Tucker Must Die," Elena held up one of the two DVDs and smiled. "This is my favorite girly movie. Caroline, Bonnie, and I watch it over and over again when one of us is sad. Over the summer, Caroline and I watched it more than twenty times."

"Uh-huh," Damon murmured.

"This," she held up the second DVD. "Is The Ring. I watched it when I was little, and it still scares me, even though everyone I know hates it now. I happen to like suspenseful movies, even though I yell and scream and get nightmares. But this is one of my favorites too."

If Damon wasn't mistaken, she scooted closer to him, tucking her bare legs underneath her; inching her skirt up her olive skin. "This is one of my favorite comfort foods and snack foods. Here," she offered him the bowl of pop corn. "Try it."

He took a couple of pieces in his mouth and nearly gagged on how salty and soggy the pop corn was. "It's coated in melted butter and a can full of salt. How have you not had a heart attack yet?"

Elena giggled, and Damon found that he was becoming more relaxed by the minute. Seeing her so carefree, after all the stress thrown their way, was relaxing to him.

She took the remote he hadn't noticed and pointed it at the stereo in the back of the room. "This is my favorite music, which I've made you listen to all summer." A country song came on and Damon chuckled. He would recognize Shania Twain's voice anywhere after spending time with Elena all summer.

"Don't worry," she said, "I only brought this one CD. I don't want to make you suffer."

"Shania is growing on me," he husked out. He took his chance and scooted closer, letting his hand linger against her untouched knee. She looked down at his hand and then back into his eyes, her brown eyes glazing over with something he wasn't familiar with. Without looking away, her lean fingers closed over his and pushed his hand down onto her knee, giving him permission to touch her. She smiled when he made contact.

"I'm almost done," she whispered before turning her head. She moved her hair off to her shoulder so he could see her neck. There was a scar there and he furrowed his eye brows. How could he have missed the scar? With all the times he had seen her with her hair thrown up into a pony tail he had failed to notice the two inch long scar. "See that?" She asked. She turned to look at him again with a grin.

"A firework that Jeremy and I set off at our family's cabin." Elena was nearly giggling at the memory even though it left her with a scar on her perfect skin. "And then this," she took off her sandal and showed Damon her heel of the foot. There was a pink circle before she lowered her foot. "I stepped on a nail at the park and refused to let Matt carry me back to my house when I was in seventh grade. It went right through my tennis shoe and stayed in me for eight blocks before I got to my dad's office."

"You were a stubborn girl back then; just like right now," Damon spoke softly, analyzing Elena with his eyes. He was still trying to figure out what game she was playing, but he decided he might as well just sit back and enjoy her carefree attitude while it lasted.

Elena smirked, leaning in closer to him. "I'm still a very stubborn girl right now."

Damon chuckled. "I can see that."

"And now I have a question for you, although I'm fairly certain I know the answer to it," Elena smiled as she ducked her head slightly, looking down at his hand that was caressing her skin. She blushed lightly and then smiled up at him. "How good do you look in a suit with a bow tie?"

Damon lightly ran his fingertips over the curve of her knee, taking his chances and sliding his light touch up her leg, as high has her skirt allowed him without fully diving under. "I pull one off very nicely," he scoffed with a smile. "Do you expect anything less when it comes to my impeccable taste?"

"Well what about tomorrow night?" Elena breathed out. She wasn't usually one to have to ask for a date. With Matt he always offered, always eager to be with her even though he hated founder's parties, but he was always up for a good dance at school. While on the other hand, she jumped into dating Stefan and the more she spent time on their relationship, the more she practically had to beg him to go to dances with her. However, he always would go with her, regardless of liking it. She always knew she could count on Matt and Stefan to accompany her, but it was different being single and having to ask for a date. "Ric didn't put you down as a chaperone so I know you're not planning on going, but…" she trailed off nervously.

"Well…" Elena grabbed the two tickets on the coffee table. "I have two tickets and…would you like to go to the dance with me? I mean, it sounds kinda lame the more I think about it, but it's a part of me being a senior. It's my last homecoming dance and the theme is Good verse Evil. I was thinking you could pull off a nice James Bond look while I—"

Damon cut Elena off, putting his two fingers to her lips to get her to stop rambling. He hadn't really ever seen Elena ramble before unless she was in a fit of rage, but he found it cute that she was getting so worked up over asking him to the dance.

"I would love to go with you Elena." Damon slowly took his fingers away from her warm breath, the action taking much more control than usual.

Elena's face lit up. "Really? Because I know you're probably _way_ over high school dances. And I'll understand if you don't want to go, but, I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather go with. But it's kind of mandatory that I be there. I was voted to be on homecoming court. I guess I'm one of the top five senior girls in my class. Imagine that, right? I hardly went to school last year." Elena gave a nervous chuckle.

"If you answer me one thing, then I promise not to make fun of you for rambling so much. Deal?" She nodded her head silently. "What changed your mind? I thought with all of Alec's threats you would want to stay far away from me?"

Elena bit her lip. "Two reasons," she murmured seriously. "I realized the night Bonnie came home that Alec wasn't going to stop. No matter if we follow his orders or not, he won't stop. He threatened you and me being together, but yet, he hasn't done anything to us since the night of Bill taking you. And you were right, if we can overcome that night then maybe, just maybe, we can handle more if he decides to attack again."

Damon was sure that if he had to breathe, his breath would be taken away by her words. Not once in his existence had a girl, a woman, given him hope like this. No one had put their heart on their sleeve for him; even when he was with Katherine she shared little with him other than her blood and mystery. She never cared about him, but Elena was different. She was opening up to him as if she saw something special inside of the monster that he was.

"And the second reason?" He husked out.

"And the second reason is that I'm a very stubborn person. I get what I want when I set my sight on something," Elena teased, inching closer and kneeling so she was facing him, making him look up to see her face.

"You sound very cocky Miss Gilbert," Damon mocked.

"I think you're rubbing off on me," Elena pointed out. "Now," Elena cleared her throat when Damon's stare started to become more than innocent. "Back to deciding which of my favorite movies to watch while I eat my pop corn and you can finish off your bourbon?"

Damon smirked, eyeing Elena before pouncing like a tiger. His hands grabbed both sides of her small waist and pulled her down on top of his lap. She let out a squeal before laughter ripped through her. She struggled for a moment before finally settling down in his lap. Both of her legs straddled him while she balanced on her knees; digging into the couch to support her.

"I can think of better things to do," his face was level with her heaving chest and she had to tilt his head up so that he was looking at her face, a coy smile adorning her features.

"I'm not that kind of girl," she whispered, dangerously close to his mouth. "I don't just put out for anyone."

This was a new side to Elena that Damon had only imagined. He had never heard her talk to Stefan during the various nights he was forced to listen to them in the parlor, dining room, or Stefan's bedroom. He always knew there was a fire inside of her, but he never actually thought he would be the one to experience it.

"What if I say please?" Damon hummed sensually. His hand had, unknowingly to Elena, pulled her tank top from the confines of the belt she had around her waist and was now petting her taut skin.

Her resolve was cracking, but she knew that no matter what, sex was not an option that night. They hadn't even gone on a date and she was already straddling him in a skirt with some of her best lace panties on. In that moment, she knew that being with Damon wasn't going to be anything compared to Matt or Stefan.

"First base," she kissed the side of his lips while his other hand tangled in her hair. "Possibly second base tonight, too." She panted, knowing full well that she wanted Damon out of his shirt and he most likely wanted her out of her tank top too.

Making out with Damon would be a first for them both. He was used to getting the full homerun with other women; he never had to work for it. On the other hand, Elena was used to taking things at a normal pace. First, a kiss after the first date, making out after the second or third date. Next would be the oral sex. And finally, they would have sex. With Matt it took a year of dating, it had only taken a couple of weeks with Stefan, however, with Damon, she wasn't sure she could control herself.

"I can deal with that," Damon mumbled against her moist mouth, lowering her to the couch so that he was hovering above her.

Elena looked up at him and smiled. He might be able to deal with that, and even though they were her rules, she wasn't sure if she could deal with them. Damon consumed her and they hadn't even gotten past first base yet.

* * *

**Happy? Let me know in a review please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note-This chapter is REALLY long. I hope you guys enjoy. This chapter is dedicated to Karolina94. She gave me awesome ideas that I will be using in chapters to come. I was planning on adding more of Damon and Elena, but some filler scenes had to be done first.**

* * *

"So I'm just going to come out and ask it," Caroline said, folding her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes on Elena. Elena was busy hanging streamers that consisted of the colors red, black, white, and gold. She didn't know what Rebekah envisioned, but she let the blonde bombshell control decorations. It was one more thing Elena didn't have to worry about.

"Ask what, Caroline?" Elena was distracted, but when Caroline finally asked her the question, she snapped out of her task at hand.

"Are you fucking Damon?" The blonde kept a straight face as Bonnie gagged in shock at Elena's side.

"You can't just ask that!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"I'm tired, cranky because of Mrs. Lockwood and her crazy party ideas, and I'm just being blunt because I want a straight answer." Caroline looked at Elena with seriousness written all over her face. "Are you sleeping with Damon?"

Elena matched Caroline's seriousness. No matter what she said, she didn't want to share her intimate details with her friends just yet. Whatever she and Damon shared, Elena thought their moments deserved to be private for just a while longer. There were too many people that could be affected by her relationship with Damon at the moment, and the more private they kept things, the better. Plus, Elena wouldn't admit this out loud, but she found it exciting to keep secrets about Damon and their moments together.

"Where is this question coming from, Care?" Elena asked. She didn't want to lie to her two best friends, but she didn't want to dish out information about her intense make-out with Damon the night before. "Yes, we are going to homecoming together, but it's just a date."

Caroline snorted ungracefully. "Yeah," sarcasm was evident in her voice, "Damon doesn't do dates. He wants sex, blood, and more sex. He might be changing Elena, but I don't picture Damon being the perfect gentleman anytime soon."

Elena pursed her lips, knowing full well that Caroline was right and wrong at the same time. Yes, Damon probably did want blood and sex and a really good time. He was a vampire, and those things were almost expected from him. But he was changing, although it puzzled Elena because she was starting to think that maybe he wasn't so much as changing, but rather she just never noticed the details about Damon that made him seem more like a gentleman and human.

He had respected her wishes last night. He didn't push her or manipulate her in any possible way. He knew when it was getting too intense and he pulled away, soothing her down so that she wouldn't regret anything the next morning.

"You know," Elena smiled, despite the tone and words Caroline directed towards her. She knew Caroline was just being a friend. "Damon seems like a simple person to read, but really, he has a lot of layers to him. He surprises me all the time." She meant it when she looked Caroline and Bonnie in the eyes. He really did surprise her when he was the one pulling back as her fingers so carelessly tugged on his pants zipper.

"Maybe you should get to know him before you start assuming things." Elena sighed, not wanting to get into a fight with either of her two friends about Damon. There were times when Elena thought Caroline and Bonnie were accepting Damon, after all, he has been doing a nice job at keeping them safe, but then there were times like setting up the dance that Caroline would accuse Damon of things that were in his past.

"I get that he hurt you Caroline," Elena said softly. Before Caroline could deny it, Elena looked her best friend in the eye. "He fed off of you and basically used you. I'm not okay with that, but he has changed. He has saved our lives time and time again, and I can't deny my feelings for him. If I don't see where my relationship with Damon might go then that will be my biggest regret." Elena reached out to comfort her friend. "I'm not asking you to like it right away, but I'm asking you to not judge him. Are you guys okay with that?"

Bonnie and Caroline shared a look before Bonnie hugged Elena suddenly. "I can promise that."

Caroline huffed before joining the hug. "Yeah, I can promise to try."

"Thanks you guys! Now I think it's time to have a girl's day and get ready at my house, yes?" Elena asked.

"Duh!" Caroline exclaimed. "We were going to come over anyways."

* * *

Damon walked casually into his room, a white towel hanging dangerously low on his lean hips. He wore a smug smile and hummed a happy tune as he thought about the previous night. The way Elena smiled up at him, caressed his skin with her wet, warm mouth, and then the feeling of her hands venturing lower on his body sent him into overdrive.

He still couldn't believe that he had enough energy and will power to stop Elena from making a mistake. She was so caught up in the passion last night, he wasn't far behind, that she was willing to not only strip him of his black shirt, but was ready to free him of his tight jeans. He knew she wasn't ready to go _there_ with him, and so he stopped her, looked her in the eyes, and slowly kissed her.

He had leaned his forehead against her and breathed in her scent for a moment. Damon could still remember her erratic heartbeat as his fingers danced across her bare midriff. She was everything he pictured and more. She was the dictionary picture of perfect and he didn't want to rush things. That feeling of not rushing and being in control around Elena was new to him. He always pictured taking and ravishing her anytime, but the previous night was not the time. Damon knew he was going soft the moment he realized he had stopped Elena from furthering their heated session. But he was happy he did it. He was still wearing the smile from his face yesterday. Elena had chosen him. She knew what he was, accepted him, and shared information about herself. She opened up and wanted to be with him. Not Matt or Stefan or anyone else. Damon felt like he was high as he combed his perfect, inky black hair.

"Why are you all smug?" Stefan asked, showing up in his doorway. He was already dressed, his hair dry and in his small waves that he preferred. "We're going to be late. We have to meet Alaric in ten minutes. Remember? We're supposed to head to the school early to make sure Alec isn't around or any of his minions."

"Correction, brother," Damon said smoothly. He looked at Stefan with his smirk, realizing that even though Stefan was home again, and in semi normal shape, Elena still wanted him and not Stefan. "You have to meet Alaric in ten minutes. I have an hour before I have to pick up Elena."

Stefan's only indication of hurt and surprise was in the small widening of his eyes before he returned to normal. Damon allowed himself to feel bad for Stefan for approximately one second before getting over it. Stefan had his chance with Elena and he wasted it.

Stefan squared his jaw and turned instantly stiff. "When did this happen?"

"Relax Stefi," Damon chided lightly. "That look you're giving me will cause early wrinkles to form on you. We don't want that happening."

Stefan rolled his eyes at Damon's light tone. "Can you not joke for one second? We're in a middle of some crisis with Alec just lurking around, making his next unknown move. How can you be so careless?"

Damon looked at Stefan through the mirror. He was ready to let the words 'I'm careless because I have Elena' roll off his tongue, but Damon knew that would hurt his baby brother far more than he cared to think about. And Damon was in too good of a mood to worry about Stefan for the night, and so Damon just smiled at his brother. They both knew he was like this because of Elena. She brought out the good in people and now that she was apparently with Damon, Stefan would have to get used to this side of him again.

"Tick tock," Damon taunted. "You're going to be late for patrol, Stefan." The roles were reversed. Stefan left Damon alone to get ready while he met with Alaric. They didn't know if Alec was going to make an appearance or not, but it was a dance in Mystic Falls; something bad was bound to happen.

* * *

Elena was just finishing with her hair when Caroline joined her in the bathroom. Caroline stopped in the doorway and whistled lowly.

"Holy cow," she breathed out.

Elena turned to look at Caroline, worry etched on her face. She bit her lip out of habit. "What? Did I mess up with my makeup?" Elena asked.

"You just look so much like Katherine," Caroline said. "Your hair and lipstick and…wow."

Elena knew her makeup was different than how she usually wore it. She had on red lipstick and her skin was practically glowing. She looked radiant with her hair stick straight, with her top layers pulled back and a slight bump in the back of her head.

"That's exactly how Katherine wore her hair when we tried to kill her last year. Remember when Bonnie trapped her in the room at the Lockwood mansion?"

"Yeah, don't remind me," Elena groaned out. That night did not end well for her.

"Damon's never going to stop looking at you," Caroline said proudly. Elena was surprised at her friend's sudden approval, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Just wait until you see my dress," Elena giggled, liking the idea of Damon's eyes never straying from her.

Bonnie soon joined them in the bathroom and the girls got ready together. It was a night for them to relax and have fun with one another. They didn't get nights like these that often and so the girls had to take advantage of their time together.

Elena entered her room and grabbed her dress hanging in her closet. She was starting to get really excited about the dance. Damon would be at her house any minute to pick her up since they had to be at the dance thirty minutes early to make sure everything was set up and working. Only Rebekah, Matt, and the chaperones would be there early to greet them.

Elena slid into her dress, the material soft against her skin. Her dress was black and tight against her skin. She knew this was a risk to wear since there was basically no back to it. There were two straps that crisscrossed against her back to hold her dress up. Also, there was a silver piece that acted like a collar that snapped around her neck. It outlined the top part of her dress and sparkled in the light. There were hardly any sides to her dress as it draped down her lower back to the high part of her thigh.

She stepped into her silver high heels that matched her bracelet that Damon had given her over the summer and grinned. She looked at herself in the mirror and grabbed the last thing on her bed. The theme for the dance was Good verse Bad, and she definitely was going as someone who was bad. Elena put the red, thin headband in her hair, careful not to mess up her hairdo. The red devils horns were clearly evident and she smirked at how good she looked.

"I love your dress!" Caroline complimented. "It's very risky and sexy. Perfect for the occasion, she-devil."

Elena giggled. "I decided to play on the bad side tonight. Is the dress too…slutty?"

Bonnie scoffed. There weren't even sides to the dress as it was basically just material that covered Elena's front and tied in the back, cutting down in a diamond pattern to expand over her hips; showing off her perfect curves.

"We're seniors; you can get away with anything, Elena." Bonnie smiled and laughed. "The dress isn't _that_ slutty, but you can definitely expect every guy to be looking at you. I'm just glad I'm dating your brother so I don't have to worry about straying eyes."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Your dress is fine, and Damon is downstairs."

"What?" Elena asked. "You can hear him?"

"Vampire ears, honey," Caroline said, pointing to her ears that were decorated with blue earrings. "He's been here for five minutes. He's talking to Jeremy and Alaric. There was no sign of Alec at school. Maybe tonight will be a normal night for once."

Elena grabbed her clutch and gave herself one last look in the mirror before leaving her friends to finish getting ready. She knew Tyler was bound to get to her house in about twenty minutes and then he was driving Caroline, Jeremy, and Bonnie to the dance.

As she neared the staircase she heard her brother's and Alaric's voice. Widening her eyes in surprise, Elena tried her hardest to keep quiet so she could listen to their conversation.

"She's eighteen Damon, and she's been through a lot," Alaric said awkwardly.

Jeremy scoffed. "Just get to the point Ric." There was a pause and Elena imagined Jeremy turning towards Damon. "If you hurt her then I'll kill you. Alaric's been showing me how to stake a vampire. I'm getting pretty good at it."

Damon chuckled. "I think I'm a little bit harder to stake than a stuffed dummy."

"What Jeremy is trying to say," Alaric explained slowly, "Is that—" He stopped talking the minute he heard Elena on the stairs. She accidently stepped on the wrong spot and the stairs let out a squeak. She knew now that it was time to reveal her embarrassed self.

"Hey guys," she greeted cheerfully, blushing at being caught listening. As she descended down the stairs she could feel Damon's intense stare. She avoided his icy blue eyes until she was standing firmly on the ground, near her front door. However, when she did look up at Damon, it was as if Jeremy and Alaric disappeared and she actually felt like a young teenage girl, going to her first dance with her schoolboy crush. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at Damon and how handsome he looked as James Bond.

She met his eyes and noticed them turn a shade darker as he took a step closer to her. His mouth opened a little but then he closed it. Elena had never seen Damon so speechless before and it gave her the confidence she needed, and so a smirk graced her face as she turned in a slow circle, showing off her lean back and the two flimsy straps holding her dress up.

"I'm guessing there's nothing I can do to convince you to go change?" Alaric asked, already knowing how many perverted high school boys were going to be looking at Elena in that dress.

"Nope," Elena said, never taking her eyes off of Damon. "Are you ready to go? Or do you want to stay and listen to Jeremy threaten your life some more?"

Jeremy chuckled at how speechless Damon was around his sister's presence. "Well if I would have known that you were going to render Damon wordless then I wouldn't have had to give him my brother speech. I mean, seriously Dude," he said to Damon lightly, "You're drooling."

Damon snapped out of it, and glared at Jeremy, knowing he wasn't drooling. "Don't be a punk," he scolded. "Don't you have a date or something?"

Jeremy raised his chin defiantly. "We're not leaving for another twenty minutes."

Damon rolled his eyes and walked over to Elena, his eyes going up and down her body. Her dress was even shorter than the skirt she was wearing the night before. He got as close as physically possibly without actually touching her and smirked down at her.

"You look so beautiful," he murmured close to her ear. The moment he leaned down to talk to her he faintly heard Alaric and Jeremy make themselves busy in the kitchen so they didn't have to witness this exchange. They were alone for the time being.

Elena wasn't expecting him to call her beautiful. She was expecting some kind of sexual reference or innuendo. Elena was even expecting him to use the adjectives 'sexy', 'hot', or 'spectacular'. The word 'beautiful' was so elegant, gentle, and caring that she beamed up at him, appreciating his words.

"I figured since you were going as the Good figure then I could go as the Bad creature tonight. Do you think I pull off a nice devil?" Elena flirted a little.

"I think," he nuzzled his nose against her soft hair. "That you are the best devil I have ever seen. And that tonight I have to be on my best behavior since all the boys will be staring at my girl," Damon warned in her ear. His words sent a giddy feeling through her as she let herself be labeled as _his girl_.

The moment Elena stepped into the school it was as if the gym wasn't even a gym. The decorations were phenomenal and everything looked like it was already set up. She wasn't even given a second before Rebekah was in front of her, panic written all over her face.

"I was just told by the principal that one of us has to introduce the band when the dance starts," the blonde rushed through her words at an almost inhuman speed. Elena searched Rebekah's desperate eyes and realized that the blonde must be scared of speaking in large crowds.

"Are you nervous?" Elena asked. "Everything will be fine. Whoever plans these things usually ends up speaking."

Rebekah was breathing harshly and Elena was glad that she was already dead or else the vampire might have a heart attack. Matt and Damon both approached the girls as Rebekah answered. "I can deal with classmates and small gatherings, but big crowds that consist of the whole school, I cannot."

"What has Barbie's panties in a twist?" Damon asked as he looked the Goddess wannabe over.

Matt smiled at Elena in greeting. "Hey Elena. You look amazing."

Elena blushed lightly, bowing her head slightly as she took Matt's appearance in. "You look good yourself Donovan. Are you actually going to dance tonight?"

"You know how it works. Half the time the guys stand around while the girls make them look good," Matt said back with a chuckle.

"Right," Rebekah said, not wanting to waste any time. She clutched onto Elena's wrists and for a moment Elena felt no pain from the brute strength Rebekah was using. It was weird because this kind of hold should have had Elena wincing, but she was perfectly fine. "So you'll speak, please?"

Elena nodded. "Sure. I'll introduce the band. Is everything else ready?"

"Since you were late I was able to do everything else by myself," Rebekah said simply. "I got bored and came early."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and made me help. I thought dating you was bad. And then I dealt with Caroline and her planning. And now Rebekah…" Matt trailed off, laughing at the teasing he was giving Rebekah and Elena.

Elena punched him playfully in the arm, Damon not taking his eyes off of her. "Hey!" She exclaimed. "I wasn't that bad."

And then Elena found it funny when she thought about Matt's words. They had dated, and Matt had dated Caroline too. Damon had dated Caroline briefly and now they were sort of dating. Matt and Damon shared mutual tastes in women and Elena bet they didn't even realize it.

Damon was behind her, his hand casually on her lower hip, his fingers moving, caressing her body. His front was flush against her back as he held her close, and when his lips moved towards her ear again, she shivered slightly.

"What's so funny Miss. Gilbert?" Damon questioned soothingly. It was as if his deep voice touched every inch of her body, inside and out, and that sent a thrill through Elena. She knew Damon noticed her change of breathing as she leaned back into him, shutting her eyes; effectively blocking out everyone around them.

"I was just thinking," she mumbled with a smile. She wasn't one for PDA, but with Damon, she wanted everyone to know that they were together now. Elena knew that was different than how she felt that morning, but in that moment, she wanted everyone in their school to know that Damon was hers and that she was Damon's.

They got pulled apart by Rebekah and soon after, kids and dates started piling into the gym. A CD was playing in the stereo while the band set up on the stage. Elena and Rebekah were backstage near the band, talking about how successful they were.

"So I compelled the Principal," Rebekah said casually.

Elena's eyes went wide. "You can't do that Rebekah! He's our principal for crying out loud."

Rebekah laughed. "Relax. It was only to find out who the Kind and Queen were for homecoming." She paused and smirked at Elena's awaiting face. "It's you, duh." Rebekah playfully bumped Elena's hip. She could definitely get used to being friends with Elena. "You and Matt won the crowns."

Elena smiled. "I wasn't expecting me to win. I seriously thought Caroline would. She might be mad."

Rebekah shrugged as she studied the stairs that were decorated, leading up to the track that surrounded their gym from above and the weight room that was on the second floor. Their school was lucky to have such a nice gym. That was where all the homecoming court kids would descend from in a few hours.

"It's full out there. Do your thing Elena," Rebekah smirked before she walked off stage on the right, leaving Elena with the band behind her. Elena shook her head at the thousand year old vampire. She would have thought Rebekah wouldn't have been scared of anything.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, the music was cut and the lights were on Elena. Everyone finally simmered down, and a few whistles echoed against the walls. Elena blushed slightly while waiting for complete silence.

As she spoke quick and straight to the point, she spotted Jeremy and Bonnie off to the side, near the food with Alaric and Damon. Elena thanked everyone for their help setting up the dance, she gave credit where due, and then she introduced the band that plays gigs around Mystic Falls all the time. They mostly did cover songs and nearly everyone loved them whenever they play at the Grill.

Elena wrapped up her introduction, applause echoing off the wall, and she managed to somehow hop down from the stage without breaking an ankle. She figured it must have been from her coordination from cheerleading. The band started instantly while she made her way over to Damon and her friends.

"Congratulations, Elena," Bonnie said before hugging her again. Elena looked puzzled before Bonnie explained further. "You're the homecoming queen. Rebekah told Caroline who told me…" she trailed off.

"Right," Elena nodded, not liking the attention on her for that. "Thanks Bon. I wasn't expecting that."

"I feel honored," Damon joked. "I would have dressed better if I knew that I was bringing the queen."

Elena turned on him, the dark atmosphere of the gym and the sparkling lights above creating a dreamy feeling. "I think you dressed perfectly. Dance with me? I love this song."

"Of course," Damon said with a smirk, taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor.

Stefan had just approached the table and said his greetings to everyone. "Did I just miss Elena and Damon?"

"Yeah," Alaric said. "And I doubt they're going to be leaving the dance floor anytime soon," he pointed to where Damon and Elena had already fallen into their own little world, leaving no space between the two.

"Eww," Jeremy said with a twisted face. "I don't need to see my older sister grinding on a one hundred and seventy year old vampire," he looked at Stefan, "No offense."

Stefan grimaced as he looked at his old girlfriend dancing with his brother. He didn't want to admit it, but she did look happy. There was a huge smile on her face, and her eyes wouldn't or couldn't stay away from Damon's. There was something odd between Damon and Elena and a part of Stefan worried, but the other part of him was actually happy that his brother finally found someone to be with.

"I just wanted to say congratulations to her. Caroline's ranting and raving about losing. But she'll get over it, soon," Stefan concluded.

Bonnie gave Stefan a small smile, to comfort him. She knew that he was hurting, but she also blamed him a little for leaving with Klaus and going on a killing spree. "I'm sure you'll see her later tonight. After all, we all have to be announced in two hours," Bonnie said optimistically.

* * *

"You're lucky I have such great control," Damon hissed in Elena's ear. He held her close, as if she were his second skin. They clung to one another, dancing and moving to the songs that echoed throughout the gymnasium. Damon actually liked the band playing, but he guessed that was because he had Elena clinging to him and touching him in all the right places. Two weeks previous he couldn't imagine being like this with Elena, only picturing it inside his head. And now he felt her fingers latching onto anything she could grab, desperate to touch him as quick as possible.

"Why's that?" She husked out, tilting her head back as her right hand played with the little hairs on the back of his head.

He took a chance, knowing Elena usually wasn't one for PDA, and nuzzled his nose in her neck, smelling her scent and letting it consume him. He was lucky everyone was too busy to see him like this, or else he would never live it down. Elena basically owned him; he knew that and he was starting to think Elena knew it too.

"Because practically every guy can't take their fucking eyes off of you. If I didn't have to worry about someone indentifying me as a vampire, every guy here would be dead within a blink of an eye." He spoke low, a threat filing out of his mouth naturally and instead of Elena's scolding he was sure to receive, he felt her shiver at his tone and that made her grind herself harder into his already hard crotch.

Elena twisted in Damon's arms, never letting contact drop between them. She had started getting wet a while ago, and she was sure Damon knew it because of his impeccable heightened senses, and his words spurred her feelings further. She should have been angry at his comment because she knew that he meant it, but deep down, she also had a feeling that he wouldn't kill for her.

"Everything you do is for me," she stated, letting both of her arms encircle his neck as he kept his hands on her lower waist and back. If he dipped just a little bit lower than he could be cupping her ass. "I think it's time you start letting me do things for you."

Their stare was intense as he let her full impact of the words settle in. Damon didn't think the feeling of Elena and her desire for him would ever get old. He had to keep reminding himself that this was actually real and he wouldn't just wake up in his bed the next morning.

"Have you seen Tyler?" Caroline interrupted Damon's and Elena's moment. She looked around the gym, biting her lip. "Carol wants us to start lining up for court in twenty minutes and Tyler is missing. I've managed to track down almost everyone but him. I'm worried."

Elena untangled herself from Damon, not wanting to lose contact with him, but she had to focus on her worried best friend. Her and Damon could and would share more moments like that later in the night. She still didn't know if having sex with Damon was going to happen that night, but she did know that she wanted to be with him after the dance.

"I'll help you look for him. He's probably busy spiking the punchbowl or something."

"Okay," Caroline said with a breath of relief. "Thanks. I'll keep scanning the crowd while you look up and down the main hallway?"

Elena nodded. "Yeah, maybe he's just outside the gym, cooling off. It's hot in here." Caroline left to continue looking while Elena turned towards Damon.

"I'll go talk to Alaric and see if he's seen Tyler anywhere," Damon offered with a sigh.

Elena smiled. "Thank you. I'll text you if I find him." She didn't know if she should kiss him or just leave, and so an awkward look was shared before Elena leaned up and kissed the side of his mouth in departing. She rushed off without looking at him, too embarrassed that she didn't know how to act with him in public sometimes. What was he? Her boyfriend or just a date? Did he even want to be her boyfriend? Yes, he said that she was his girl, but what exactly did that entail? She was too confused all of a sudden and so she concentrated on looking for Tyler, imagining Mrs. Lockwood having a near panic attack because kids were missing from the Homecoming Court.

Elena walked outside the gym, smiling at people as they greeted her and complimented her on her attire. When Elena was sure that Tyler wasn't in the hallway, she decided to leave the main hallway and head towards Tyler's locker. If her theory was correct, then Matt and Tyler might be at the locker to collect the alcohol they were going to use to spike the punch. Matt and Tyler had only been talking about spiking the punch for a week now, and so Elena was positive that's why they were both missing. She had seen Rebekah without Matt talking to Stefan when searching for Tyler in the hallway.

As Elena turned the corner, an eerie feeling overtook her body and she went rigid as she took in Tyler's lifeless body, lying in a heap on the dirty tile floor. She ran to him, bending down to feel a pulse. She felt nothing and a cry emitted from her throat. Her sharp nails gripped his shoulders, willing him to move or wake up. She wished that he was joking and that his heart would start beating any minute, but nothing happened.

"Tyler," she whispered over and over again. "No," she cried, "This can't be happening."

"Elena?" Matt questioned. He rushed over to her and stopped short as he realized she was holding Tyler's head in her lap. "What happened? There's blood on Tyler's mouth."

Elena looked closely at Tyler, not noticing the blood before. What did that mean? "I don't know, Matt," she said, taking a deep breath, stopping the tears from falling and collecting herself. She looked at Matt, noticing that he wasn't shedding a tear or remorse for his best friend lying helplessly on the ground. Maybe he was in shock, but Elena didn't have time to dwell on that because Tyler wheezed in her lap. She dropped his head in shock, watching as he cracked his back and shoulders, moving his neck as if it had been snapped and was now healing.

It all made sense to her. She had seen Stefan and Damon move their necks like that before. That was the move of a vampire who had their neck broken, and now he was waking up with blood on his face. "Are you in transition?" Elena whispered in astonishment.

"He's a werewolf, Elena," Matt stated. "That would make him a hybrid. Only Klaus can make those."

Elena stood up as Tyler looked at her with confusion. "Is he Matt?" Elena accused wildly, not believing her eyes. Tyler was dead, and now he was awake. "Because we don't know anything about Alec. What if he did this? What if he can make _anyone _transition?"

"Elena?" Tyler whispered. He looked at Matt and stood up. "Matt? What happened? We were at my locker and then all of a sudden you weren't there and…my mind is blank." Tyler looked at Elena again, licking his lips as he scanned her. "You really have to leave Elena."

"What? Why?" Elena backed up as Tyler took a step closer. Tyler glanced at Matt. "You have to leave Matt. I have to get Elena by herself. I have to complete my transition."

His eyes were glazed over and they both knew Tyler had been compelled. In one second Tyler had Matt by the shoulders, Matt not even fighting back as Tyler slammed him against the wall, letting Matt's head hit the cement and effectively making him pass out. Tyler turned on Elena, a fight going through his dark orbs.

"You don't have to do this," Elena said, slowly taking small steps back.

"I don't want to," Tyler said. "I have to drink your blood, but I can't. You have to run, Elena." Tyler warned as his whole body seemed to be fighting the compulsion, but as soon as Elena turned to leave, her body was whipped across the hallway and Tyler's mouth was attached to her neck.

This bite wasn't anything like Damon's. This bite felt like Vicki's bite during the Halloween party the previous year. This bite felt like a baby vampire's bite that was desperate for blood. His fingers dug into her arms, causing slight bruising as she let out a silent scream. She couldn't draw attention to them. There would be no explaining this to anyone and it was too risky considering half of the council was chaperones.

"Tyler," she grunted out. Elena knew that the pain should be more intense as she felt her life slipping away from her. Even Klaus's bite hurt a little bit more than Tyler's now, and she had to wonder where her strength was coming from. The feeling of helplessness was slipping from her body the closer her hands got to Tyler's neck. He had fully transitioned, and now there was only one thing Elena could think of to stop him.

She twisted his neck with all the strength she had. Cracks were heard as his whole body froze and dropped to the floor. Elena willed herself not to look into Tyler's black eyes, knowing full well that she just snapped her friend's neck. It was crazy to think that she actually did it. When she practices with Alaric he made it seem like it took a lot of strength, and it baffled Elena as she thought about the logic of the situation. She should be weak from lack of blood, but her bruises on her arms disappeared and she felt her wound slowly stop bleeding. She touched it tenderly, and it was sore and there were still puncture wounds, but it wasn't bleeding.

The noise from the gym filled her ears and she knew that she had to hide Tyler for the time being. She looked at Matt, knowing he would come through soon. But no one could see Tyler right now. Elena bent down and grabbed his two hands, dragging him twenty feet to the girls' bathroom. No one would come in since there were closer bathrooms to the dance.

Pulling her cell phone from the strap of her high heel, Elena dialed Caroline's number. This would be a hard conversation, but it had to be done. She needed help and Caroline would find out soon enough that Tyler was technically dead.

Elena shut her eyes, willing her tears to not fall. She was done with crying, done with pretending everything would be okay, and she was done with fooling herself with optimism. She looked down at Tyler's lifeless body at her feet; knowing Caroline would be with her soon. She had locked the door just in case someone else decided to walk into the restroom before Caroline could make it to her.

Elena grabbed paper towel and ran it under the water to get it damp before applying it to her neck that was coated with warm, sticky blood.

She finished wiping the blood from her neck when there was frantic knocking on the bathroom door. "Elena!" Caroline called.

She rushed to the door and opened it, surprised to see Damon with Caroline. Caroline rushed in and went to Tyler instantly while Damon shut the door behind himself, looking Elena up and down. He automatically noticed the bloody paper towel in her hands and knew it was her blood.

"What happened?" Damon demanded, taking the towel from her hands and delicately pressing it to her neck. He allowed Caroline to worry about Tyler and waking him up as he focused on Elena. His other hand cupped her face, slowly letting his fingers tuck stray pieces of hair behind her ears. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No," Elena answered. "I'm fine. I just," she sighed, leaning into Damon's touch. She didn't know exactly how to phrase that she just snapped one of her friends' neck. She looked past Damon's shoulder and noticed Tyler start to move a little. "I just snapped Tyler's neck. I couldn't help it, Damon," she spoke quickly, as if she had to justify herself. She found herself shaking a little, the idea of hurting someone she cares about too consuming for her. "Tyler was compelled. He was killed by Alec and compelled to drink from me. He wouldn't stop."

"Take a breath," Damon soothed. "Here," he said quietly, biting into his wrist and offering it to her. He watched as she carefully enclosed his two puncture holes with her mouth, not once spilling a drop of his blood down her chin or anywhere on her dress. She was getting good at drinking gracefully from him, and a big part of Damon was proud of her for that.

When she pulled back, she still wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, checking to make sure she didn't have any remaining blood on her mouth. She felt calmer now, knowing there was no evidence of Tyler's bite mark.

"He wasn't going to stop. He couldn't. The blood was too much for him, and so I had to snap his neck. I thought only Klaus could make hybrids?"

Before Damon could say anything, Tyler groaned and sat up, rubbing his neck in the process. "What the fuck?" He asked groggily. "What happened? Caroline?"

"I'm here Tyler," Caroline said softly. She was crouching down next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel like someone broke my neck, and my gums are killing me." Tyler looked around for the first time and when his eyes landed on Elena realization hit him. "Oh my God, Elena," Tyler exclaimed. He stood up, not meaning to use his new vampire speed and rushed to Elena.

Damon shielded her, making Tyler stop his advances. Sorrow filled Tyler's eyes, knowing that he fed from his friend to survive. He had almost killed her.

"Matt and I were at my locker, getting alcohol to spike the punch bowl, and then Alec was there. He fed me his blood and then compelled me to find you after I woke up. That's all I know. All I remember."

Before someone else could say something, Matt and the Principal walked into the bathroom. Principal Turk was shocked to see Damon and Tyler in the ladies room. Matt just smiled.

"There you three are. We are starting the line up for homecoming court. And Mr. Lockwood, what are you doing in the girls' restroom? You're lucky I have no time for handing out detentions."

"We're coming. We just had a female emergency," Caroline lied smoothly, grinning as the Principal looked uncomfortable.

"Right, well hurry up. I'm announcing court in five minutes. Be at the top of the stairs to make your entry. Elena, congratulations, you'll be walking with Matt and announced last. You're the homecoming queen." Principal Turk left, brushing past Matt on his way out. He obviously didn't know that the whole school found out that Matt and she had won the crowns.

"Matt," Elena said with worry all over her face. She rushed to him, pushing past Damon slightly to get to one of her closest friends. "Are you okay? Tyler said Alec was here. And Tyler did hit you against the wall pretty hard."

Matt smirked, crossing his arms over his chest in a cocky manner. "I'm good. Alec left, and now it's time to make our appearance together. Let's go."

Elena looked back at Caroline who also looked confused at Matt's behavior.

"I'm a hybrid now, aren't I?" Tyler asked, slowly putting everything together.

"Yes," Caroline answered softly.

"Which means you're one of our key players now," Damon said as if their group were a team against Alec. In a way they were, but Damon had a way to talk about everyone's lives as if they meant nothing, and now Tyler was someone at the top of Damon's list to save. "You also get out of the massacre when he needs a werewolf. Congratulations." They needed all the strength they could get and Tyler was going to be filled with strength once he started drinking a healthy supply of human blood.

"Let's go Elena," Matt said again, taking her hand. "We're King and Queen."

"Hey Quarterback," Damon called out smugly. "Why don't you ease up your grip before I rip off your good throwing arm? You'll never make it into college without it and I would hate to ruin your future even more."

Matt glared at Damon and Damon stared right back. The two males silently had a fight and it was Damon who won the contest. Elena didn't notice it but she took a step back to be closer to Damon once Matt wasn't touching her. Damon put his hand on her hip, slowly massaging circles on her lower back. Since her dress cut so low on her back, his hand was right on her skin, leaving a trail of fire wherever he touched.

"We should go," Caroline said. "Principal Turk didn't look happy and I want to be announced." Then it dawned upon. "Should you even go, Tyler? Are you feeling okay? I don't know how this hybrid stuff works."

"I'm fine," Tyler said honestly. "I've never felt better actually. I just can't believe I was going to hurt Elena." He looked at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"Tyler," Elena said, cutting him off effectively. "It's fine. Really. I can handle it. God knows I've gone through worse." She looked up at Damon and smiled kindly. "I don't really want to stay any longer. I don't care about winning homecoming queen anymore."

"Let's go then." Damon leaned down and whispered in Elena's ear, fully aware that everyone but Matt could hear him still. "I believe you said I get to find out tonight if you put out on the first date?"

Elena blushed as she heard Caroline and Tyler splutter at Damon's obvious statement.

"Oh my God," Tyler said, starting to leave the bathroom. "Is that how he talks all the time and I just didn't hear because I wasn't a vampire?"

"Unfortunately," Caroline muttered bypassing Matt. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah. Of course." Matt couldn't tear his eyes away from Elena and Damon; especially Damon's hand that was resting just a little bit too low for his liking on Elena's revealed back. Matt gritted his teeth and latched onto Elena's hand, shocking her. But she gave him a smile, understanding that he might be a little weird if he had to witness his best friend being changed into a hybrid. "Can we talk for a second?" He looked around at Damon's glare and Caroline's surprised face. "Alone," he emphasized.

"Yeah," Elena easily agreed. She turned towards Damon and smiled her sweet smile. "I'll meet you downstairs by the door. Do you mind getting my purse too?"

Damon didn't like for once second the idea of Elena being alone with Matt. If it were any other time he wouldn't care. He knew just how important Matt was to Elena, but something was off about Matt and it sent Damon into protective mode. But he nodded his head with narrowed eyes. "Sure. Maybe Alec is still lurking around. I should go warn Alaric and Stefan too."

He walked away with Caroline and Tyler, but as soon as they turned the corner and out of Matt's and Elena's sight Damon stopped walking. Caroline was about to say something, but Damon covered her mouth with his hand and had her pinned up against the wall. "Shh," Damon shushed quietly. "I just want to listen to their conversation. I think we can all agree that Matt is a little different right now."

"He's right, Care," Tyler agreed. "Something's weird about him."

"We don't have to spy on our friends though," Caroline whispered once Damon removed his hand.

"If you don't like it, then leave," Damon hissed before tuning into what Elena and Matt were talking about.

"You can't leave Elena." Matt sounded stern and strict, something that was completely opposite for him. "Remember freshmen year when we attended homecoming together and how we wanted to spend our senior homecoming as king and queen?"

"Yeah, but Matt, so much has happened tonight and it's all just sort of pointless right now. I'm not that petty freshman anymore. I don't need the crown. Winning is just enough for me, even though I don't deserve to win."

"And why do you say that? You deserve more than just winning. Everyone at the school loves you." Matt genuinely meant what he was saying. "People look up to you Elena. You may not realize it because you're too busy with _Damon Salvatore_," Matt spat Damon's name out, "but I'm just a simple human who is able to see people without being noticed. You're getting over last year and everything that happened to you. You're a strong woman who is back to planning dances, being on the dance team, and fighting for what you believe in."

"You really think so?" Elena asked. She sounded touched by Matt's words and Damon couldn't help the eye roll at how cheesy Matt sounded.

"I wouldn't lie to you, Elena. People voted for you to be queen because you really are the queen of this school. Let me be your king for just one night. Also, you were the one who wanted this night to be normal. It wouldn't be normal if you just left before the dance they're expecting us to share."

There was a long pause before Elena spoke. "Okay. We'll be announced and share the dance and then I'm leaving with Damon." Elena was firm with her words, noticing how Matt seemed to be staring at her with such intensity that it sent a slight chill up her back. Not once in knowing Matt had she seen him so pushy and blunt with his words.

"See?" Caroline whispered to Damon. "We didn't have to eavesdrop. It was just an innocent talk. Now leave Damon and wait until this announcement is over."

Caroline, Tyler, and Damon all left the hallway, going their separate ways. Damon went down to the gym, finding Alaric immediately by the punchbowl and food. He had the perfect view of the stairs; the exact spot Elena and Matt would appear at. Caroline and Tyler drifted the other way, meeting up with the other six people who were also on the homecoming court.

"Where's Elena?" Bonnie asked as she turned around to look at Caroline. They were standing at the top of the stairs, in the hallway of the weight room.

"I'm here," Elena said, walking up behind Caroline, Matt right behind her; hardly giving her space.

The ten students waited for Principal Turk to finish his speech before announcing the homecoming court. Each girl was paired with a guy, and they had to walk down the stairs and wait for the king and queen to be announced.

"And now," Principal Turk announced into his microphone, perched at the top of the stairs so that all of the students could see him, "without further ado, your top ten seniors representing your proud homecoming court!"

Damon rolled his eyes, seeing Jeremy who was approaching, drink in hand. "Don't mind if I do," Damon said, taking Jeremy's cup that was definitely spiked.

"Dick," Jeremy mumbled.

Alaric shrugged, "I could even smell the alcohol radiating from your cup. I would just let Damon drink it if I were you."

"Something's wrong with Matt…and Tyler." Damon's eyes scanned the crowd, looking for Alec lurking in the corners. If he was at the school before, then he most likely stayed to watch Elena make her entrance.

"I thought this was supposed to be a normal night?" Jeremy asked stupidly.

"Bonnie Bennett, accompanied by Owen Fells," Principal Turk announced.

"Like that's not biased or anything," Jeremy muttered darkly. "Owen's his nephew or something."

"Tyler's a hybrid now," Damon said bluntly. "Alec was here before, caught Tyler off guard, swapped blood and sent Tyler after Elena to finish the transition. I'm taking her home after this." Damon took a long sip of Jeremy's spike juice. "I'm betting Alec did it because Tyler snapped his neck the night you found me."

"How much do we have to worry about Tyler? Is he a major threat now?" Alaric asked quietly so no one would hear them.

"That's what I'm going to find out tomorrow when I visit Klaus."

"Caroline Forbes, accompanied by Tyler Lockwood." Principal Turk continued.

"Where's Elena?" Jeremy asked, and then realization hit him. "She's queen, isn't she?" A proud smile adorned his face and Damon also saw Alaric smile too. "I knew a lot of people were voting for her. I guess it makes sense now that she's more active this year again. I was almost starting to worry about her when she quit everything last year."

"And may I present to you, the queen and king who you all voted for: Elena Gilbert, accompanied by Matt Donovan."

Cheers and applauding sounded throughout the whole gym. Matt and Elena appeared at the top of the stairs. Principal Turk crowned Matt as Mayor Lockwood delicately put a tiara on Elena's head. Damon couldn't deny how radiant she looked as a huge smile decorated her face.

As Matt and Elena descended the stairs the song _I See You_ by Mika drifted throughout the loud speakers and Damon grinded his teeth as he realized they had to share a slow dance with one another. He glared as he watched Matt dip his hands low on Elena's body, pulling her close. Everyone watched as the two exes danced flawlessly. Damon took small pride in the fact that he noticed Elena stiffening in Matt's embrace.

"I don't see Alec anywhere," Alaric whispered. When Damon didn't say anything back he knew that Damon was listening to Elena's and Matt's conversation from the dance floor.

"You know," Matt bit out, glaring down at Elena. She had never seen his eyes so cold before. He could practically give Damon a run for his money if they had a staring contest with their icy blue eyes. "I thought I warned you about staying away from Damon?"

Elena halted in her spot, the brute force of Matt dragging her along making her dance with him kept her feet and legs at least swaying in her spot; giving the illusion of a real dance happening. "What are you talking about? Matt?"

Matt clicked his tongue disappointedly. "Guess again, my sweet, loving Petrova doppelganger." His hand reached up and slowly caressed her face.

Elena whipped her face to the side, turning out of his grasp. "Alec," she hissed. She didn't believe it was him at first, knowing Matt's body. This was her best friend, but his personality didn't match up. "Did you cast a spell? Get out of Matt's body."

"With pleasure," Alec sneered. "I can't stand being in a human's body; especially Matt's. He's too innocent…too pure."

"Then get your witch," Elena demanded. She kept up the façade of dancing with Matt in front of the school, willing for the song to be over. She hoped that all her vampire friends were listening. If they weren't then they would never believe her if she said Alec actually switched his and Matt's body's.

Alec chuckled. "I don't need a witch, naïve girl. I can possess any living person I want." Elena opened her mouth slightly in shock, but mostly from the pain of Matt's hand on her back. He was applying pressure and she shut her eyes, holding in a whimper of pain. "I can even impersonate dead people. That's the easiest thing to do. If someone's already dead then I don't have to possess them. I just appear and look like them; get inside their heads and memories…" Alec nuzzled Matt's face into Elena's neck, pretending in front of the whole school that they were enjoying their dance together.

"I just had to show you how much power I have over you and your friends. This is my message to Tyler. I was generous tonight. He snapped my neck and now I snapped his. If anyone else pulls that stunt, then I'm going after their families and loved ones. Understand?"

"Crystal clear," Elena bit out, relishing in the fact that the song was done. "Now get the hell out of his body."

Alec smirked, and within a blink of an eye, Matt's body fell to the floor, and all traces of Alec were gone. Rebekah rushed forward with a bunch of other kids. She willed them to stand back as her and Elena crouched down by Matt.

"Did you hear?" Elena asked Rebekah, not having to explain further.

Rebekah nodded her head. "Loud and clear."

Elena stood up, wanting to help Matt, but also wanting to give him space. She felt a tug on her arm, and she was practically dragged out of the crowd. She knew this touch anywhere.

"Damon," she sighed. Before he could say anything or react, she had her arms around him in a tight hug.

He had been hugged by her before. When they found out Katherine wasn't in the tomb, she hugged him. Another time was when Rose had died. Elena hugged him. Also, besides the comforting hug, he had experienced a friendly hug over the summer with her multiple times. Ones where she would jump on his back to try to steal the remote away from him, and other times when he was being a smart ass and she wanted to try to tackle him to the ground. Each time she would wrap her arms around his torso and squeeze him.

This hug was different. This hug pulled at his heart as he knew that he had to be the one to comfort her. No longer were they dealing with him grieving over Katherine or Rose. Instead, they were mending Elena's confused thoughts and feelings. She snapped her friend's neck and had to dance with her ex boyfriend who had been taken over by a psycho vampire who planned on killing them all.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Whatever words he was going to say fell away and instead, he rested his chin on the top of her head and held her until she stopped crying. Damon filled the cracks in her heart and mended her emotions until she was absolutely perfect. His love for Elena was more than enough to make her feel protected and so he would hold her all night and into the early morning; watching her sleep restlessly. He wanted to take away her pain, suffering, and memories of everything bad in her life, and so when she finally stopped fidgeting in her sleep at five in the morning, he was able to shut his eyes too and hold her close to his heart.

He couldn't protect her in the past; it wasn't his role in her life, but now he could protect her in the future. He would be whatever she needed him to be.

* * *

**So Tyler's a hybrid...I'll try to explain that better, although it's pretty simple. Alec can do anything he wants. He's this unknown creature to the Mystic Falls gang. Elena has this new strength in her...where is that coming from? You'll have to read to find out. And lastly, are Damon and Elena going to hook up? That question is still in the air right now. Review please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note-SMUT, SMUT, and more SMUT. This is basically a filler. I have to show some scenes of Damon and Elena bonding and I was just in the mood to write it. I hope you like it. This is dedicated to Karolina94. Thanks for the idea!**

* * *

A loud beeping sound was pounding through Elena's head. She winced and groaned from the loud intrusion. She didn't recognize the sound at first, but the louder it got, the more annoyed she became. She grunted at her phone's alarm and without opening her eyes, suspecting her phone was right on her bedside table, smashed her arm down and started to feel around for the annoying device.

But it wasn't her wooden table that her hand was touching. Instead, she opened her eyes in confusion and saw that her hand was feeling a very hard, carved out chest that was built with muscle. Blood rushed to Elena's face as she realized who the chest actually belonged too.

She looked around, pulling her hand off of Damon's body. She was in his room and his bed. Elena didn't even remember going back to the boarding house; however, she was certain nothing intimate happened between them considering she was still in her dress, the straps cutting into her skin, being warped while she slept through the night.

Only a few times she had been in his room. Once when she was helping Rose after being bitten from a werewolf, and then one other time over the summer when she was searching for Damon in the house.

"You can practically sleep through anything," Damon murmured, not moving from his spot. He was lying on his back, shirtless with only the white sheet covering his lower half. Elena briefly wondered if he was wearing pajama pants or just underwear, but soon after her naughty thought she realized she probably looked like a mess. Luckily, Damon's eyes didn't open once. "Your phone has been going off for twenty minutes now."

Elena slowly reached over him to grab her phone; all of a sudden she was afraid to actually touch him. After shutting off her alarm she put it on the table next to her side of the bed. Quickly taking advantage of Damon having his eyes shut, she tried to smooth out her hair the best she could and wiped her hands across her face, getting rid of the smudges of make-up and sleep in her eyes.

"Why didn't you just turn it off then?" Elena mumbled, slipping back into bed. When her head hit the soft pillow her eyes burst open in realization. "I shouldn't be here," she exclaimed, sitting up quickly. "I have to get home."

Hurt flashed through Damon's eyes for a brief second, but he covered it with a cocky smirk. There was no way he was going to let Elena know just how much her words effected him. She already had control over him without even trying, and although she wouldn't be the type to abuse her power, he didn't want her to know that she could tell him anything and he would be at her beck and call.

"Oh come on," he taunted teasingly. He sat up and put his hands behind his head in a comfortable position. "Admit it, you have always wondered what my bed feels like and now you know. You love it."

Elena bit her lip, not wanting to give into Damon's mischievous smirk. Yes, she does like his bed and the way his sheets felt against her skin, and so a small smile fell upon her bitten lip. "Alaric doesn't know where I am. That's why I have to get home."

Damon looked Elena over, and understanding flooded through him. She didn't want to leave him because he overstepped his boundaries last night by taking her to his room. Instead, she was worried about his best friend not knowing where she was.

"I texted Ric when we left the dance. He knows where you are." Damon settled back into the pillows, allowing his eyes to drift over Elena as she realized that there wasn't actually anything to worry about at the time being.

Her hair was messy, but yet it still somehow framed her face that was rosy with color. Her skin looked as if it was glowing from her post summer tan and her dress was still somehow attached. He would have taken her out of her dress and given her something modest to wear, but before he did that, he realized she wasn't wearing anything under her dress on her top half. He didn't want to accidentally violate her and so he just left her in her dress.

"What?" Elena asked, a grin reaching her eyes. Damon could get used to having Elena in his bed early in the mornings. "I know I was a mess last night. That's not how I imagined the night to go."

Damon shrugged, keeping the tone light and casual. "Eh, it could have gone worse. You were pretty much asleep by the time we got back to the boarding house. I'm surprised you didn't wake up that much when I brought you up here."

Elena blushed, vaguely remembering holding onto Damon for dear life at the end of the dance and then crying her heart out as he hugged her back, equally as hard. She didn't remember when he led her to his car. And she definitely didn't remember the drive back as she fell into a restless sleep.

She allowed herself to lie on her side and get comfortable in his bed. She liked facing him as he turned his head to follow her every move. She leaned her arm on one of his many silky pillows and propped her head up. Now that Elena didn't have to worry about getting home, she accepted the fact that she wasn't in her room, but in Damon's. This was a first for them considering they had never spent a night in his room before.

Looking around the room, Elena noticed not much had changed since she had been taking care of Rose in his room. "You know," she said, "you don't really personalize your room that much. I think the only evidence of you actually being in this room is the pile of books here." She didn't miss the ten books stacked on the ground.

"I'm not a packrat like some people," Damon said; not having to think of the response. "Plus, I didn't really come back to Mystic Falls that often within the last one hundred years. I don't need things scattered about my room."

Elena raised an eye brow, being used to at least some pictures hanging in her room and decorating her dresser. "You really are a neat freak. I just thought you cleaned at my house because we're really bad at cleaning up after ourselves, but I'm starting to think otherwise."

Damon furrowed his eye brows. "Are you making fun of me?"

Elena watched as Damon's eyes narrowed and turned a shade darker. "Maybe a little," she confessed innocently. "You might have an OCD problem. You should probably get that checked out."

Damon pounced, turning her body so that she was beneath him on her back. Moving his fingers along her bare sides, courteous of the dress, he managed to tickle her until her face was beat red, tears pooled in her eyes, and she was begging him to stop.

Apologies slipped from her mouth as giggles fell from her lips. She was subconsciously aware of Damon straddling her, keeping his weight perfect so he didn't crush her. "That's not fair," she pouted. "You know that I'm ticklish."

Damon chuckled while looking down at her. He took his chance and leaned down a little, just far enough for her to make the next move. He wouldn't push her after last night. If she wanted to kiss him then she was going to have to kiss him. It wasn't like Damon to give the woman nearly all the power, but Elena was an exception. He hardly had power compared to her with their relationship.

"I know everything about you," he hummed.

Elena looked into his eyes, seeing the sincerity there and believed him. "I know," she agreed softly. "And I hardly know anything about you." She stroked a piece of hair behind his ear. "But I want too."

Damon rolled his eyes with a smirk. "You know plenty about me."

Elena copied his eye roll playfully. "I know you from the past year, but there's so much more to you Damon. You've been around for one hundred and seventy years."

"And for some of the time I've had my humanity turned off." Damon looked over Elena's face, seeing her purity and honest curiosity. "You don't want to know about that," he decided softly.

Elena's hands encircled his neck, bringing his head down to her, their breaths mingling as she spoke to him. "You said that I would have liked you better in 1864, and although I really _really_ like you now, I want to hear about you. I want to know you, Damon."

She pressed her lips to his, drawing him closer. He had no time to respond to her as his lips moved against hers. Their lips were like puzzle pieces that instantly connected in place and when her tongue swiped across his bottom lip, he allowed her access and let her explore him before taking his turn. His tongue didn't feel foreign in her mouth as he received tastes of Elena that he only imagined weeks ago.

"You might not be ready to talk about your past, but it's what makes you who you are now, and I don't want to be left in the dark. When you're ready, I really want to get to know you." Elena smiled at him, leaning her forehead against his.

"Okay," he agreed. Her stomach grumbled and they both laughed. "I think someone's hungry."

"Mmhmm," Elena buzzed. Her eyes matched Damon's as they held each other's gazes. "I'm hungry for a lot of things."

"Now who has double meanings behind their sentences?" Damon quirked an eye brow; he was trying hard not to think about Elena's words. His semi hard cock twitched dangerously. He was already getting turned on by their steamy kiss, and now her hazy eyes and husky voice was springing him to life. "Let me make you breakfast. You can shower while I cook something up."

"You mean I get to use the famous Damon Shower?" She teased.

"Oh honey," he said dramatically, rolling them over so that he was on his back and she was lying on him, her chest pressed dangerously up against his own chest. "You can use anything you want."

Elena giggled and Damon decided that was the best noise he had ever heard. "Okay. That sounds good. I'm starving. I missed dinner and lunch yesterday because of the dance set-up."

Damon frowned. "If we're going to be dating then you need to eat at least three meals a day; especially if you keep up your training with Alaric."

Elena's smile radiated off of her face. She completely dismissed Damon's later requests as she gave him a toothy grin. "We're dating, officially?"

"Well let's review, okay? First, I know for a fact I don't want you dating other guys. Second, I think we make the hottest couple and people will be jealous of us. Third…" he trailed off and pecked her on the lips. "I just don't want you dating other guys. I don't think you'd appreciate me munching on every guy who looks your way."

Elena scrunched up her face. "No, making Mystic Falls your dinner isn't exactly on my list of things to do." She gave him a sly grin, starting to slide off of his body so she could take a shower. "Also, I don't want you to see other girls. That means no more feeding on poor, unsuspecting sorority girls."

When she was standing next to the bed, she leaned down to his ear, loving that he was stunned. "I get jealous and mean and bitchy when I feel protective of what's mine. I don't want to share you with some sisterhood."

She kissed him soundly, feeling free for the first time in a long time. They may have to worry about Alec and what he threatened he could do but they could deal with that once the weekend was over. For the time being, she liked staying in Damon's room and having it just be the two of them. It felt as if the world had stopped and they were the only two living in it.

That was until there was a knock on the door and then it opened, revealing Stefan on the other side. His straight face turned into a frown and wide eyes filled with surprise as he saw Elena in her wrinkled dress. He took in Damon's bare chest and stepped back.

"Uh, sorry." He apologized quietly. He looked pained and as Elena took a step closer to him, to try to explain herself, he held up a hand to stop her. "I was just going to say I am heading to New Orleans with Bonnie again. We're taking a day off of school to visit Maggie again."

"Can't that wait until next weekend?" Elena asked. Stefan wouldn't make eye contact with her, and then she realized it might be the fact that she and Damon were holding hands. Damon stood up, raising an eye brow at Stefan's behavior.

He stood, revealing a pair of very loose fitting sweatpants that hung severely low on his hips. His muscles showed off and the v that led down to his pelvic bone stood out prominently. Elena swallowed harshly before tearing her eyes away to look back at Stefan.

"After the stunt Alec pulled last night, Bonnie and I are going to go talk to Maggie about it. Also, Bonnie's attempting some spells tonight with her." Stefan cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. If only he fed on people still, then he would have sensed Elena in the boarding house. He didn't know how he could have missed the distinct smell of her. She was filling Damon's room to the brim with her fragrance. "Uh…so, I'll see you two later."

"Stefan," Damon called out, looking over his baby brother for any other sign of hurt. When he saw nothing but pain in his brother's eyes, Damon smiled softly, not letting his eye waver of understanding. "Be safe."

Stefan nodded, knowing that Damon understood why he was leaving for the few days. It was too hard to be in the same town, let alone house, knowing Elena had made her choice between the two of them. "You guys too."

When Stefan shut the door, Elena sunk down on the bed, cradling her head in her hands. "I can't stand hurting him," she muttered.

Damon crouched in front of her, making her look at him. He raised her chin with two fingers. "He's a big boy, Elena. He can move on. It might take days, weeks, or even years, but he will come around. It's natural."

Elena didn't like it, but she knew how break ups felt. She had broken up with Matt and still felt sad sometimes about hurting him. But they had overcome it and now they were best friends again. Then Stefan practically broke up with her by leaving, and she had taken a few months, but now she was moving on. Stefan just had to move on and then everything would be okay between them.

"You're right." Confidence spewed through her tone. "Time heals everything. We take things one day at a time and soon he won't hurt anymore."

Damon stroked her cheek before standing up and offering his hand out to her. "That's my girl," he said proudly. "Now I'm going to go cook something that'll have you begging for more while you can shower in my spectacular bathroom."

Elena giggled like a girl who was finally dating her schoolboy crush. Although Damon definitely wasn't a boy as she took in his lean, taut body and tight back muscles that rippled as he walked away from her, stretching as he went from lying in bed longer than he usually did. Elena smiled as she took a moment to appreciate him and what a beautiful start they had to their relationship. She may have broken down in his arms, crying already but they comforted each other and now there was nothing stopping them from enjoying their day together. Everything and everyone else could wait until Monday morning.

* * *

Damon was just putting the food on their plates when he heard Elena coming down the stairs, talking on the phone with Caroline.

"I'm sure Caroline. Yes," Elena stressed, coming to the kitchen immediately. She followed the smells of syrup and bacon all the way from Damon's room. She stood and smiled as Damon hadn't looked up yet. He was too busy serving out the food. "I'm fine. I should be asking you if you're okay. You and Tyler have a lot to handle now."

"_Which is why I'm kind of calling_," Caroline admitted. "_I want to take a couple of days off from school, just like two or three, so that way I can absolutely make sure Tyler is okay. I'll teach him the ropes of being a vampire. But..."_

"Yes?" Elena asked, possible scenarios floating through her head. Damon looked up at her in that moment and Elena blushed furiously. She was leaning against the archway that lead to the dining room, phone cradled against her ear, wearing nothing more than her black lace panties and one of Damon's many black dress shirts. That type of shirt was the longest on her body as it reached her mid thigh.

Damon's eyes went wide for a moment and his jaw slacked open in the littlest of moves. His mouth went dry and the thirst for blood was beginning to grow in his system. Her legs seemed to go on forever and hide underneath the shirt she was wearing. His shirt fell against her skin as if it were a very, _very_ short dress on her. It also didn't help that the top two buttons were undone, giving him a peak of her cleavage that he wanted nothing more than to admire.

"_Since I'm going to be gone for most of the week, do you think you can put together a routine for the home game this Friday? I would, but we don't know how dangerous Tyler is going to be. What does being a hybrid even mean!?_" Caroline was getting worked up and Elena knew instantly that her friend was trying to do her best to hold herself together. Caroline's boyfriend was just killed and turned last night into a creature that they hardly understood themselves. "_I'm going to have to talk to Klaus today. Maybe he'll help Tyler adjust_."

Elena rolled her eyes at the mention of Klaus. She didn't want to be negative and remind Caroline that if he helped then he would probably want something in return. So instead, Elena bit her tongue and nodded her head. "Yeah. I'll do whatever you need me to, Care."

Caroline squealed. _"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best. That's one more load off my shoulders. Next, Tyler and I have to talk to Carol Lockwood this afternoon. She's SO not going to take the news nicely. And to top it off, we have the fashion fundraiser this week. Don't forget to remind Ric that he has to go. He is stepping in as a Gilbert for the council and now he's obligated to go to these things."_

"Okay," Elena agreed. "I'll talk to you later. Good luck with Carol. Just give her a cocktail first," Elena joked before clicking her phone off. She sighed before looking at Damon who was still staring at her in awe. She blushed again, her hands fidgeting at her sides as she tried to pull the shirt down lower. "Sorry," she apologized. "I didn't have any other clothes here and my dress is not the most comfortable thing in the world. This was the only shirt that decently covered me enough. Hope you don't mind." She walked up to him, innocently gazing up at him.

Damon cleared his throat. If that's what she called decent then he would love to see her in his other shirts. "That's fine," he rasped out before clearing his throat again, pretending to cough to cover up his lack of speech. "I made eggs, bacon, and pancakes. I hope you're still hungry after your phone call with Blondie."

As Elena reached for her plate, he beat her to it and collected their food on a tray. He bumped her hip playfully as he passed her. "If you could grab that mugs on the counter and follow me, then that would be greatly appreciated."

Elena did as he asked, noticing he bypassed the dining room table that was covered with books and papers. She knew having the dining room table cluttered was probably driving him crazy with how messy it looked.

"Are we eating in the parlor?" Elena asked as she followed him into the room, and she gasped slightly as the fireplace was fully going and a blanket was laid out on the ground with a bunch of pillows around it for backrests. Goosebumps coated her skin as she realized she really was cold in nothing but his shirt and so she happily sat down on the blanket. "This smells so good. This is my favorite breakfast."

Damon smiled, keeping that fact in the back of his mind. "I guess that works out good since this is my favorite breakfast too." He was still shirtless and so he smirked when he saw Elena's eyes attached to his chest when he sat by her. "Like something you see, Gilbert?" He teased.

Elena rolled her eyes before grabbing her plate. "Ass," she muttered lightheartedly. "But thanks," she said, meeting his eyes and fluttering her long eye lashes. "No one's made me breakfast for a very long time…probably not since my parents died."

Damon didn't mean to bring him up so soon, but he didn't filter his mouth as he spoke about Stefan. "You mean after all the nights you spent here, Stefan didn't feed you once?"

Elena shrugged. "He fed me," she defended him slightly. "With crackers and cookies. Never with stuff he actually cooked though. He wasn't the best morning person."

Damon rolled his eyes. Stefan and he were brothers. They were allowed to hate one another for a period of time and then they would overcome their differences and love one another again. That's how it worked.

"That's not feeding you. That's ruining your immune system and preparing you for a heart attack." Damon poked a piece of pancake onto his fork and held it towards her. "Here," he offered as she gladly welcomed the food into her mouth. He watched as her mouth slowly enclosed the pancake and his cock twitched again. Only she could manage to look sexy while eating pancakes.

They talked, laughed, and fed one another for the next half an hour. They became familiar with one another even though they were already like two magnets, attached at the hip. It was when the plates were cleared and Damon sped back to her, that Elena decided she was going to have to ruin the moment. Damon wouldn't like it if he found out that she was keeping something from him.

"I have to tell you something," Elena whispered. "And it's probably going to ruin our morning, but since it's technically afternoon as of ten minutes ago, I guess I'm not really ruining our morning."

"You're rambling," Damon noted. He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek after and liking the fact that she still leaned into his touch. They were lying on their sides, facing one another with their heads propped up by their hands. "You can tell me."

Elena nodded. "I'm not sure how to tell you, but," she trailed off for a second before starting again. "Something weird is happening."

"Tell me about it. This douche bag vampire can impersonate anyone. I thought we were just going to hold off until Monday to talk about that?" Damon searched her eyes, knowing that's not exactly what Elena wanted to talk about.

She bit her lower lip, but released it once Damon's soft finger skimmed her bottom lip. He gave her a wry smile; waiting for her to continue.

"There's something wrong with me." Alarm flashed through Damon's eyes and Elena corrected herself, knowing that maybe the word 'wrong' wasn't such a great word choice. "I mean, something's different with me. I should have bruises covering my wrist from when Rebekah was freaking out about talking on stage. My back should have a hand shaped bruise on it when I danced with Alec."

"Maybe you're body is finally building up its tolerance for bruises," Damon joked without humor. He didn't like where Elena was going with this little revelation.

"I'm serious Damon," she reprimanded. "When Tyler bit me, and then you got to the bathroom, I was hardly bleeding when my neck should have been gushing. How do you explain that?"

Damon's mind was thinking over the events. How had he missed the fact that she was hardly bleeding? He must have been so caught up in seeing the smeared, dried blood that he hardly noticed the small puncture wounds that were closing by themselves.

"When he was drinking from me, how did I have enough strength to snap his neck when I lost that much blood?" Elena put her hand on his arm, shaking him slightly as she worked herself up. "I'm healing myself and I'm stronger than I was before. This time it was different from when Klaus drained me. I had no energy to move or fight during the ritual, but then all of a sudden I can snap Tyler's neck? It makes no sense."

"Was it possible that you had vampire blood in your body before the dance? That would explain the healing." Damon knew she didn't have his, and he was angrier by the second thinking that some other vampire gave her their blood.

"No," she reassured him. "I didn't have vampire blood, although I'm starting to think I should have it with me every day because of Alec. But that still doesn't explain my strength. Ric has been good with training, but I shouldn't have been strong enough to snap Tyler's neck last night."

"We'll do some research. Ric and Jeremy brought back a lot of books to go through and I'll call Stefan today. I'll tell him to talk to the witch about it." Damon looked her over, a nervous feeling flooding his body like a tidal wave. He didn't let it show though as he smiled at her. "It's probably nothing. Maybe something to do with you being a doppelganger or something."

"Okay," Elena agreed, not believing Damon for a minute. She had a gut feeling that it had nothing to do with her being a doppelganger. "Let's hope for the best."

"Now," Damon said, "Let's start talking about what you just mentioned about the blood. Why do you think you need vampire blood every day?"

"It's obvious. I think we all do." Elena smiled slightly. "Alec won't stop. He's going to keep threatening us. Tyler was just lucky that he had the werewolf gene. If Alec were to snap Matt's neck then he wouldn't come back to life. Alaric and Jeremy have their rings, but we both know that Jeremy sucks at keeping his on his finger. Anyone could steal it before snapping his neck."

She was ready for Damon to disagree, but as she watched his eyes and chewed on her bottom lip, she realized that Damon seemed impulsive and rash on the outside. When they were crunched for time or when he was pissed off, he made choices that he never thought through. His main goal the last couple of months had been to protect her. He made every decision based upon her life.

But when given the time and when no one was around to see his considerate side, he actually did put others first. He thought of consequences and it was times like these his plans worked successfully.

"I'm willing to give you my blood," he finally said. "But I'm not giving it to others. I'm not a blood bank. We have more than enough vampires to offer their blood. Plus, I don't want to give away too much and become weak...and I want to be the only one giving you my blood. No other vampire."

"Okay. We can get Stefan, Caroline, and Tyler to spare some blood. I have a feeling the others won't like this plan though."

"Stop that," Damon chided. He lifted her chin again so that she would look at him. "Nothing is going to happen to you. And we'll do everything we can to stop Alec."

"Okay," she nodded.

A silence overtook them and Elena leaned closer to Damon. Her hand traced over the curves of his exposed chest, tracing the muscles that glossed his skin. His chest was hard as a rock and she had to wonder if he was built like this before turning as a vampire. She had seen Stefan shirtless and although he had an impeccable body, his muscles did not shine through like Damon's.

His lips claimed her mouth when she looked up from his chest and she latched onto him, not letting him pull back. His hands tangled in her wavy hair, controlling her head angle by wrapping his hand around her hair and tugging slightly. It was arousing and hot all mixed into one as his tongue claimed her mouth.

Elena took Damon by surprise and straddled him, only parting their mouths for a second to collect some air and then her lips were attached to his. She could feel his hardness through the soft material of his sweatpants and she yearned for the offending material to be gone between them. She let out a gasp as Damon's mouth dragged away from hers; sending wet kisses down her jaw, throat, and stopping at her collarbone where his shirt opened up on her.

He nibbled there with blunt teeth as his hands pushed his shirt up on her body, feeling her golden skin and skimming the underside of her breasts. She was panting in his ear, letting her mouth touch any part of his body that she could reach. He could feel everything that she was doing while her hands yanked on his hair, tongue and hot mouth lavishing the side of his neck, and her hips grinding into his hardness.

He didn't need to feel how wet she was as her soaked panties rubbed dangerously against his sweats. He could smell her arousal and that pushed him forward. She wanted him and he wanted her. There was no denying that.

His mouth ran down her body as he was letting his arousal and nature take control. Flipping them over with his vampire speed, he grinned down at her and her rosy, plump lips. She looked exquisite; wearing his shirt that was half unbuttoned, her hair a mess, spread out beneath her, and her heaving chest with a raging heartbeat.

"What?" Elena grinned up at him, letting her hands smooth down the sides of his face, his lean shoulders, and his forearms that were holding him up above her.

He leaned down and nuzzled her neck with his warm breath, kissing and sucking, wanting to hear her gasp and moan and let out little mewls of encouragement. "You're beautiful," he whispered into her skin.

Her right leg wrapped around his torso, bringing him closer as she laid desperate kisses to his chest and shoulder blades. This kissing couldn't even compare to what they did the other night. Elena never knew that just kissing could turn her on this much, and she never pictured herself clawing desperately while panting and moaning from just a simple gesture such as kissing on her neck. But there she was, on the floor of the boarding house, in only Damon's shirt and her soaked panties, clutching Damon Salvatore's body to bring him inhumanly closer to her.

Just as her hands reached the loose ties to his sweatpants, a cold burst of air hit her body. Buttons went flying across the floor and she was nearly fully exposed to his vampire eyes. The front of his shirt was completely ripped as his mouth collided with her exposed chest, making her arch off the ground as his expert fingers plucked her perk nipples.

"Damon," she breathed out. She let herself experience his hands and mouth touching her. This was a feeling she wasn't accustomed with. She had been with other guys, but Damon knew exactly what to do and what he wanted. He didn't hesitate in taking or giving as he let himself go and unravel around her. She could only do the same with him.

"I want you," she croaked as his hands traveled lower on her body, leaving behind a trail of fire in its path. He looked down at her, his fingers pausing right above her dripping panties. When her brown orbs met blue she realized what Damon was communicating through his eyes. This was it for them. If his fingers went any lower then there would be no turning back.

She had always thought Damon just wanted sex and Katherine. But what Elena didn't realize until that moment was that Damon was a true romantic, deep down inside his body. He didn't let anyone see it, but in that moment, the way he worshipped her body and made her breakfast before in front of the fire, she knew that he was trying to be perfect for her because that's what he truly believed in.

Elena sat up a little, bracing herself on the back of her arms to fully look at him. He was crouching above her, ready to consume her further. She didn't look away as she shimmied out of the rest of his shirt that was still covering her back. A tint of dark red circled his eyes and black veins were soon to appear.

She gulped quietly, moving her hair off of her right shoulder. "I don't want you to hold back." Elena figured he hadn't had blood for a while now. She knew he didn't drink this morning or last night, and so he was most likely hungry. "I'd rather you drink from me than from something else."

Damon wasn't ashamed when he let his fangs show and the black veins contort his face. "It won't hurt," Damon promised as his teeth scraped over her unblemished neck. He didn't say anything else as he let his teeth prick her skin, going in deeper as he drank from her. Damon heard her gasp, and he matched his drinking with the stroke of his fingers against her hard nipples. He pleasured her as he filled himself with her blood, pulling away slowly and licking up the slight mess he made. He watched as her bleeding slowly stopped, wonder and astonishment filled his eyes as he knew she didn't have vampire blood in her system.

But to be safe, he pierced the inside of his bottom lip and gathered Elena's lips in his own. She kissed him urgently, sucking his blood and the reaming of her blood back into her mouth, swallowing with no hesitancy.

"I want more," she whispered hoarsely against his mouth, blood smeared between both of them.

Damon didn't think he could get more turned on, but he was wrong. As he looked into her eyes, searching them for any regret, he was ready to pierce his lips again so Elena could get her fair share, but then something happened that neither of them could have expected.

"Am I interrupting?"

Damon moved so fast, Elena didn't even see him move around the living room. Before she could even turn to look at Klaus, a blanket was thrown over her exposed body. She tightened it around her as she used the back of her hand to get the remaining blood off of her face. Damon stood in front of her, with his arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

"Get. Out." Damon bit out and a shiver crawled up Elena's back. She had never heard him use that tone before; not even when Stefan and him fought. He had an arctic coldness to him and she was glad he wasn't using it against her.

Klaus stood smugly in front of them, a smirk gracing his face as he teased them. "Hello Sweetheart," he cocked his head to the side and Elena glared, shifting slightly behind Damon. "Maybe Elena will give me a better greeting. After all, _you_ were the one who wanted to talk to _me_, remember mate?"

Damon cursed under his breath, completely forgetting that he had text Klaus the night before about Tyler. "First of all, we are not mates; so don't call me that. Second, there is a thing called a door. You should start knocking on it. Third, I was supposed to meet you at _your_ house."

Klaus shrugged. "I'm not patient. And Rebekah is driving me insane with all her bloody high school work and dance planning. I was going to offer a drink from a blonde I picked up last night, but I can see you already had your fair share."

"That's my cue to head upstairs and get my things." Elena stood up, and wrapped the blanket around her as if she were wearing a towel to the shower. She looked at Damon for a brief second as she left the room. A blush coated her face as she felt both Damon's and Klaus's eyes on her back.

Elena could only imagine what would have happened if Klaus hadn't interrupted. If this was how her and Damon's relationship was going to be all the time then she could handle it. Damon was exciting, consuming, and a little dangerous all rolled into one. The thoughts of him and her together sent an increasingly good ache throughout her body.

The smile on her face wouldn't go away as she changed back into her wrinkled dress. Yes, she could definitely get use to the feelings Damon gave her.


	11. Chapter 11

Elena's last two days couldn't have gone even more downhill even if she tried to make them worse. She didn't get to see Damon on Sunday because he was with Klaus, Tyler, and Caroline. Apparently, Klaus wasn't exactly an expert in hybrids considering whenever he tried to make them over the summer, they all died on him. However, Tyler was a full blown hybrid since he could change at will and had the need to survive on blood. He was moody, emotional, but he had his bloodlust under control…sort of. The only question that still was unanswered was whether or not Tyler was sired to Alec.

Klaus had explained to Damon on Saturday that if he had been successful over the summer in creating hybrids then they all would have been sired to him. They could hate him, despise him, want to kill him, but yet, they would do anything Klaus said. Now they were all on edge around Tyler because he would be a threat if he had to answer to Alec.

"I just don't get him," Rebekah said after cheer practice. She was helping Elena since her two best friends were gone. Bonnie and Stefan were supposed to be returning earlier in the afternoon while Caroline would probably come back to school at the end of the week, just in time for the game. "We had an amazing time at the dance and he even drove me home, but he hasn't looked at me since then."

Elena snorted at Rebekah and how dramatic she was being. "It's only Monday. He went through a lot on Saturday night. Plus, you'll see him tonight at the boarding house. Matt gets to give us a play by play of Alec taking over his body." Elena was sarcastic as she walked towards her car. "I'm sure he's going to be a joy to be around." She already had the experience of seeing Matt that day. He was a little shut off from her, but awkward at the same time. He apologized a hundred times, but Elena understood. He wasn't able to control himself.

Rebekah walked with Elena towards her car which was parked in the front of the school. "And let's not forget who else will be there."

Elena furrowed her eye brows. "I think it's just a small group tonight. Tyler's still off limits to us and that means Caroline's gone too."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Not Tyler. I'm talking about Damon. You haven't spilled the beans yet. I know you went home with him after the dance. And believe me, he's not known for keeping it kiddy rated. There's a reason why he's known for rocking girls' worlds."

Elena blushed from her neck up as she looked at Rebekah like she was crazy. "Wait," she said as realization hit her. "Have you slept with him before?"

Rebekah snorted ungraciously. "I'm not Katherine. I dated Stefan in the twenties and that was good enough for me."

Elena chewed on her bottom lip, thinking about what Rebekah said. Was she like Katherine too? Concern settled in her eyes as she thought about it. Katherine manipulated both brothers. She lied to them, compelled them, and then used them. She even kept Damon looking for her for over a hundred years. Elena could never do that to them.

"Well for your information, we did not sleep together." Elena smiled proudly. "Although…your brother interrupted and stopped us before anything could actually happen."

Rebekah smirked and crossed her arms, stopping to talk. "I knew it. Nik said something when he came back from the boarding house, but he wouldn't tell me the gossip. He is rumored to be great in bed. I have a few dead friends who have been with him."

Elena snorted this time. "Thanks for the confidence. I _so_ do not need to know who and how many women he's been with."

Rebekah was about to say something but then a high pitch whistle could be heard. "Damn Gilbert," a male's voice said. Both girls looked around and saw the captain of the baseball team leaning against his range rover. "You have smokin' legs."

Elena scoffed as both girls looked unimpressed. "Really, Josh?" Elena asked with an attitude. She raised her chin defiantly as she narrowed her eyes on him, trying to imitate Damon's narrowed ice, blue eyes. "Does that line really work for you?"

"And 'smokin'? Who uses that word anymore," Rebekah asked tauntingly. Elena didn't feel bad as Rebekah and she both laughed. Josh was notorious around school for using the date rape pill on unsuspecting girls. They just could never prove it.

Josh straightened up, not being used to having girls turn away from him. He crossed his arms; trying to act intimidating, but Elena just rolled her eyes as the overly confident jock approached them.

"I know you and Stefan are through, and now that you're free I think it's time that you give others a chance to get to know you." Josh's voice was low, sultry and threatening. He stood face to face with Elena, his dark brown eyes skimming her body up and down. She matched his stance, turning her hands into slight fists. She shook her head slightly, telling Rebekah silently to stay back for a minute. "I mean, it is time for you to finally move on to _better_ people. Give me a chance."

Was her serious? He insulted Elena's taste in men and then asked her out in the same breath? That was not okay in her mind.

"You're right," Elena agreed with a fake, sweet smile. "It is time to move on. Too bad I already did."

Josh looked thrown off for a second before he recovered his cool posture. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Elena's eyes didn't waver from Josh's. "Damon _Salvatore_," she pronounced his name with pride, putting special emphasis on Damon's last name.

"What?" Josh exclaimed. "Stefan's brother?"

"Yup," Elena agreed easily. "I'll see you around, asshole," she muttered, turning around to stalk off with Rebekah when Josh's hand reached out and gripped her upper arm in a harsh lock.

"You're seriously blowing me off for some college douche bag that drinks too much down at The Grill?" Josh's fingers squeezed tighter, causing a bruise to appear under his rough fingers.

"Let go," Elena warned, her back facing him and straightening out, showing no fear when her insides were screaming at her to run.

Something inside of Josh snapped and he whipped Elena around to face him. "Listen here bitch: you walk through the halls as if you own them. You flaunt your looks and body and every boy notices. Don't be a tease and just give me what I want. Or we can do it the hard way," Josh sneered, his body pressing up against hers as Elena still motioned for Rebekah to stay back. The blonde shrugged, knowing she would step in if things got too bad.

"My boyfriend's going to kick your ass," Elena threatened as she watched Josh's hand on her body.

"Is that before or after I'm done with you?" Josh hissed.

That was the last straw for Elena and so she swung her free fist back and slammed it into Josh's jaw. A small crack was heard as his whole body whipped to the side. He released her as Rebekah let out a shriek of surprise at Elena's behavior.

Elena got into a fighting stance as Josh growled in anger. He turned towards her, spitting blood out. "Stupid bitch," he rumbled as he charged her.

Elena blocked his punch and grabbed his arm. She snapped it effortlessly, the adrenaline rushing through her. It was as if everything Alaric taught her flooded her mind and the only thing that she wanted to do was attack. Josh had no right to hit on her, call Damon a douche bag, and then try to force himself on her.

Josh howled in pain as he cradled his arm to his body and Elena smiled triumphantly while standing above him. "My pitching hand!" He wailed in anguish.

Elena was just about ready to punch Josh again, wanting to erase his smirk from her mind when she felt hands on her body, pulling her back.

"Elena!" Alaric yelled. "Stop! He's down!"

Alaric shook her a couple of times to snap her out of her trance and that's when the full scenario hit Elena. She had hurt a human when he insulted her. That wasn't exactly right. But in all fairness, he was hurting her too. She just out powered him.

Alaric looked around and was glad that no other kids were around. "Rebekah," he mumbled for the blonde vampire to step in.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Fine," she huffed, not needing Alaric to speak any further about what he wanted her to do. She knelt down in front of Josh who looked as pale as a ghost. He was obviously scared. She stared into his eyes. "You will not remember this afternoon. You will go straight home, do homework, and then go straight to bed. You will never talk to Elena again or treat girls with brute force. Understand?"

Josh was so transfixed by Rebekah's eyes that when he nodded, he didn't notice Rebekah biting into her wrist. She forced her blood down his throat to heal him before standing up with a glare. "He didn't deserve to be fed my blood. He's a dick."

Rebekah stalked off towards her car, throwing her blonde hair over her shoulder. "I'll see you two at the boarding house."

Alaric looked at Elena as they looked at Josh one last time before they started walking towards their own cars again. "What was that?" Alaric asked.

Elena bit her bottom lip. "I wish I knew. We're looking into it."

Alaric raised his eye brow. "Were you going to tell me about this newfound strength? Because I know you're picking up training exceptionally well, but that was some crazy stunt Elena. You can't just go around breaking peoples' arms."

Alaric sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked down at Elena who was rubbing her arm. "Are you okay? That should have been my first question. I'm sorry."

"Yeah," Elena smiled slightly. "He just bruised my arm a little." She showed Alaric her bruised upper arm. "So Damon texted me today, saying that Klaus might know what's going on with me."

Alaric looked at her in amazement. "I hope so. Because that was incredible."

* * *

Alaric and Elena were the last two to arrive at the boarding house. Everyone was there, and to Elena's surprise, Tyler and Caroline were there too. Elena was having a bad day that had gotten worse after school, but walking into the boarding house, seeing Bonnie who had been gone for a couple of days and then Damon put a smile on her face.

She didn't go to him right away though because it felt awkward with Stefan in the room. Elena was hurt and devastated by Stefan when he chose to leave her, but that didn't mean that she wanted to rub her relationship with Damon in front of Stefan's eyes. He looked hurt, pained, and tortured as it was.

Instead, Elena smiled and blushed slightly as she looked at Damon who was filling a glass tumbler with his favorite bourbon. She sat next to Rebekah, tucking her legs underneath her on the couch.

"Trouble at the school?" Caroline asked.

Elena looked alarmed as she hit Rebekah in the arm lightly.

"Ow!" The blonde exclaimed.

"You told?" Elena accused. "I didn't mean to break Josh's arm," she told the group.

"What?" Caroline shouted. "I was talking about cheerleading. You broke someone's arm?"

"It was very amusing. The prick deserved it; especially since you still have a slight bruise on your arm." Rebekah said smoothly.

"What?" Damon hissed as he used his vampire speed to stand next to Elena's side. He took her arm in his hands, not asking permission to touch her and inspected her slight green bruise. "This looks like a hand print. What happened?"

"I'm fine," Elena insisted, taking her arm back. She looked into Damon's eyes, not wanting to discuss what happened in front of everyone.

"Nik, I think we both know what's happening," Rebekah said.

Klaus folded his hands in his lap. "Very well, I have already filled Damon in on what I know. I guess it's time to allow the others to know."

Elena was looking just as confused as everyone else in the room. Klaus turned to her with a smirk. "Would you like me to explain what has been happening, Elena? Or would you like to reveal your little secret?"

Elena glared.

"I'm so confused," Bonnie whispered.

"Cut to the chase, Klaus," Stefan said bitterly. "We don't want to play mind games with you right now."

"Fine," Klaus said with a sickly sweet smile. "Have any of you heard about two souls mating?"

"Isobel," Alaric stated quietly. Everyone turned to look at him and he cleared his throat. "When Jeremy and I picked up all of her books from Duke, there were a couple of books that mentioned _mating_ in their titles."

"Mating? That sounds like animals," Jeremy said from his spot on the other couch in the parlor. He was next to Bonnie, but Elena picked up on the awkwardness between her best friend and brother. They weren't touching and there was a comfortable space between them. Elena found that odd, and she knew she owed Bonnie a conversation.

"Have you met vampires, Jeremy?" Damon asked with a shake of his head. He was leaning against the fireplace now. It wasn't lit like it usually was during the evening. He was downing his drink in gulps as he gave Jeremy a 'duh' look. "We are animals. We're practically the picture in the dictionary."

"Speak for yourself," Caroline chirped back. "I do not see myself as an animal. I'm still me."

"Mates are rare among supernatural beings…but they're even rarer among vampires and humans," Klaus clarified. "In some cases, vampires can turn people and the people they turn might be sired to them; just like my hybrids would have been sired to me. But in this case, it's as if both Damon and Elena are sired to one another."

"Oh my God," Bonnie murmured from across the room.

Elena didn't look at Damon right away. She concentrated on the people around her and noticed Stefan's reaction the most. The glass he was holding shook in his hand as his knuckles turned white. He was really trying to control himself at this point.

"So you're basically saying that whatever Damon instructs Elena to do, she has to do it? And whatever Elena says to Damon, he has to comply too?" Caroline asked in disgust. "Because that's just gross." She had been with Damon when he first came to Mystic Falls, and so she could vividly picture Damon using this new information to his advantage.

Klaus's lips curled upwards as he took pleasure in everyone's reactions. He loved all the drama this group brought him. "Not exactly, sweetheart." Caroline recoiled at his nickname. "Damon and Elena can't just order each other around. This all happened because they had feelings for one another, but once blood is shared by both mates, that's when the mating process begins; the feelings start to show and an increase in desire becomes apparent and unavoidable. I don't know much else, but from research in previous decades, the only reason why two creatures mate is because they were destines to be together and by sharing blood, that's how it was activated. However, there's still the matter of completing the mating."

"Let me guess," Matt said, a hallow tone to his voice. "You need a witch," he joked lamely.

"Not quite," Klaus countered back with a small chuckle. "You see, when blood is shared both ways, the feelings of the two mates intensifies greatly. It gets to be where the two mates can't stand to be away from one another. Moodiness, high emotions and tempers start to stir. The need to see one another and to touch one another boosts dramatically. It's as if the flood gates have opened and all the mates' love is exposed."

Caroline stood up, not liking this situation at all. "And how do you know this is Damon and Elena? You have yet to explain anything relating to them. I mean," she said in a nasty tone, "we all know that they're _together_, but they can't be mates. That's just not…epic love."

"On the contrary," Klaus sneered, "It is quite epic. Elena, have you been healing by yourself? Have an increase in strength? Maybe even craving blood…Damon's blood? You've been more agile, quicker, and stealthier Alaric says."

Elena looked down in her seat, processing Klaus's questions, thinking over the last couple of days and really thinking about when she first started feeling different. She had drank Damon's blood when Alec first attacked, and then she had it multiple times after that. He had her blood the night they found him after being tortured, and that was when she really felt her emotions for Damon. It was as if she couldn't block out her feelings for him. She was hit with reality and her reality was Damon. She was his and he was hers.

"You're right," she agreed with Klaus, looking up and blushing slightly. "I'm getting stronger each day and everything you're saying is true, Klaus. What does this mean? What else will happen? How strong will I get?"

"It's not just you though," Rebekah said. "Tell them the rest, Nik. They deserve to know."

"I'll show them," Klaus said with joy. It worried Elena as he stood up and grabbed the fireplace poker. Klaus was only a few feet from Damon, and when Klaus used his speed to jab the poker into Damon, Damon's hand caught it right before it entered his body. He was able to hold Klaus's strength and look him in the eye with a glare. There was no mistaking what was happening. Damon was just as strong as Klaus.

"Elena's not the only one getting stronger. They feed off of each other. It's as if they enhance one another. The more they're together, the more they share. They grow together. It's all connected through their blood. The more Damon has of Elena's, he'll grow to be one of the strongest vampires on this planet, and the more Elena has of Damon's she'll continue to grow into her new vampire-like abilities."

"So it's like she's a vampire, but without actually being a vampire?" Tyler asked, with a confused tone. He was starting to get lost with all of this talking.

Klaus dropped the poker and sat down again. "Basically, in simple words you could say that. However, their other powers will come when they actually complete their mating. Then they will be true mates."

"True mates?" Bonnie asked. "How do you become a true mate?"

"Gilbert said it. Mating sounds like animals, and when you think about it; how do animals mate?" Klaus lightly said.

"By sleeping together," Stefan stated as he looked at Elena with a sad expression. She didn't know what that meant, but she looked away, not being able to handle his expression.

"Powers?" Matt asked. "Like superpowers?"

"Dream sharing, strength, and it's even rumored that the mates will always be able to track one another. It's like a sixth sense. It's quite intriguing. And of course, the protectiveness will come soon enough. Mates are always very temperamental when it comes to their lovers."

"How did this happen?" Alaric asked. "Why them?"

"It's their fate, isn't it?" Bonnie asked. Everyone looked at her and she looked down, thinking really hard about what she was about to say. "I got this feeling a year ago. I even told Elena about it, but we just laughed."

"I don't remember," Elena said. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Remember, before we found out that I really was a witch? I told you that I saw fog and a crow and a man." Bonnie bit her lip as she watched realization cross Elena's face.

Elena couldn't believe that she forgot. That was the first thing Bonnie told her at the bon fire junior year. Bonnie had been spot on since that was what Elena saw earlier in the day. It had been Damon, no doubt, but she just hadn't put together the puzzle until now.

"I think that was your fate. I read your fate that day. You were always supposed to be with him," Bonnie acknowledged solemnly.

"Oh come on!" Caroline yelled. "Just because you saw some creepy weather does not mean that Damon and Elena are destined to be!"

"Calm down, Caroline," Stefan said and within a second, the blonde was by his side, sitting down in a huff. She listened to him because she was his friend and he was hurting. She knew it must have been killing him to listen to Bonnie and Klaus like this.

"I remember that night. That was the first premonition you had for me. I just never thought about it again, but it was Damon there. You saw Damon in my future." Elena didn't know how she felt about this, but she did know one thing for sure, she and Damon had to talk to one another in private. Their relationship should not be up for discussion with all of their friends.

"How rare is this? Are there other mates that we can contact?" Alaric asked.

"The last mated pair that I ran into was one thousand years ago. So I'm guessing they're extremely rare." Klaus sipped his drink. "And there's something else you should know. If you complete the mating, which I'm sure you two are given the state I found you in Saturday morning, then know that if one mate dies then it's only a matter of time before the other one does too. Your need for one another will be so great that you won't be able to go a week without seeing or touching one another."

"I guess that explains how you broke Josh's arm," Alaric mumbled. "And how your arm is healing so quickly."

"Are you going to answer me now? What the hell happened?" Damon demanded.

Elena shrugged a little. "Josh, from the baseball team, thought I was single and decided to try a pickup line on me."

"Wait," Caroline stopped her. "You mean Josh, as in the guy who drugs girls when they don't put out, Josh?"

Elena nodded her head. "Yup. And when I told him I had a boyfriend, he wouldn't stop, so he got a little rough and I took care of it."

"He also said a few things that were completely out of line. I would have bit him," Rebekah said offhandedly.

"What things did he say?" Damon gritted out. He was ready to find Josh and beat him to a pulp, and then drain him dry. He hadn't killed anyone in a while and now would be the perfect time to start.

"That's not important," Elena mumbled. "But I punched him in the jaw and when he tried to retaliate, I blocked his hit and broke his arm."

"He retaliated?" Damon spat. "That prick is dead," he said smoothly.

"You're not going to kill him," Elena told him. She stood up and crossed her arms with pursed lips. "Rebekah already healed him and compelled him to forget about me. It's taken care of."

"I don't care," Damon said. "He's already dead in my head. Say goodbye to one more classmate."

"You can't just go around killing people, Damon," Stefan said, although he was seething on the inside. It was bad enough knowing that Elena was mating with his brother, but then there were other boys at school who loved to look at her. Stefan knew that he was lucky he dated her the year before because there were plenty of guys in the locker room who loved to talk about Elena and some of the other girls who were 'untouchable'.

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Don't act like you don't want to either, baby bro."

"I'll help," Jeremy volunteered. He was always protective of his sister and he wasn't naïve to what some of the guys said in the locker room.

Elena rolled her eyes. "No _you _won't. And neither will you or you," she pointed at Damon and Stefan. "I can take care of myself. Besides, this day was already bad enough with three pop quizzes and cheerleading. I don't think it could get any worse."

Right when Elena spoke up Tyler started screaming in pain. Caroline jumped up from her spot as all the vampires in the room seemed on edge. "What is it Tyler?" Caroline screeched.

She crouched down near him, stroking his face as he screamed again and gripped the chair with all of his might. Sweat broke out on his tan face and his features started to contort.

"So let's skip to the Tyler part on our agenda," Damon said tensely. "I thought you said you had him under control Blondie."

Caroline sneered at Damon. "He had been fine all weekend."

"Get back," Tyler hissed through pain. "I'm in transition."

"But the moon isn't even out yet. It's not even a full moon," Matt pointed out dumbly.

"Get him out of here," Damon directed. "This is like a werewolf buffet right now."

"It's Alec. Tyler is able to be controlled by him," Klaus said, standing up and getting ready to attack if necessary. "We should kill him."

Tyler was on the ground now, groaning in pain. "I have to go," Tyler moaned. He made to move, but his bones cracked and distorted in all angles.

"We are not killing anyone Klaus," Stefan said. He stood in front of Klaus, squaring his shoulders, ready to try to stop Klaus if he made a move.

"It's going to be okay," Caroline soothed. "Come on," she started to hoist him up under his arms, but he howled in pain. His eyes changed color and Bonnie gasped.

"Be careful Caroline. He's changing really fast."

"Guys," Rebekah said as her and Matt looked out the windows.

"We have company," Matt warned.

Everyone was doing their own thing. Stefan and Klaus were still squaring off, Rebekah, Matt, Alaric, and Jeremy were looking out the windows, Damon was near Bonnie, and Elena rushed towards Caroline and Tyler.

"Here," Elena offered. "I can help." She took Tyler by his other side, feeling his bones cracking underneath her finger tips. He moaned and groaned and howled in excruciating pain.

"There must be a spell put on Tyler, by one of Alec's witches." Damon said.

"He's right," Bonnie agreed. So that's what they were talking about, Elena thought. She found it weird that Damon would rush to Bonnie's side the moment Tyler started to transition. "Alec must be able to call to Tyler whenever he pleases. Who's outside Jeremy?"

"Three other wolves, and about three or four other vampires. They're circling the whole backyard."

"Come on Tyler," Elena encouraged.

"We can't just drop him outside; not with _them_ all out there." Caroline looked around, her nerves getting the best of her. "The cellar!" She exclaimed. "It'll hold him, right?"

Elena looked at Damon as her knees nearly buckled out from underneath her. Tyler's thrashing around was making it very difficult to hold him up.

Damon nodded his head and Elena somehow knew what she and Caroline had to do. "Let go Caroline," Elena instructed.

"What?"

"Let go of Tyler. Trust me," Elena looked at her blonde friend and gently placed a hand on her. She wanted to reassure Caroline to make sure that she knew that she could always trust her.

"Okay."

At the same time, both girls dropped Tyler and Damon came running by. He grabbed Tyler by the collar, and by this time, Tyler was starting to get fur and have four legs. His face was contorting and his canines were coming in strong.

Damon rushed at vampire speed, down to the cellar. He bumped into walls from Tyler's fighting, but Damon had the upper hand. Tyler was too distracted by the pain to snap at him and Damon had strength given to him by Elena's bond.

"Incoming!" Alaric yelled just as a burning arrow shot through the window that Damon just had fixed from when Bill attacked.

"Arrows!?" Bonnie yelled. "Are they seriously shooting arrows?"

Just then another round of five more arrows came shooting through the other back windows. "Down Bonnie," Elena yelled, rushing to her friend and pushing her to the ground, shielding her with her own small body. An arrow went right into the wall, where Bonnie's head would have been.

"Thanks," Bonnie said quickly as Elena and she stayed low to the ground.

"Everyone stay down, and find a weapon," Stefan instructed. He looked around to make sure that everyone was okay. "Where's Rebekah?"

"She took off." Matt pointed his head to the front door, the hung open from her quick departure. "And I'm pretty sure Klaus left too. He's not here."

Stefan all but growled as he took in the situation. Where was his brother? Why was Damon taking so long in the basement? "That's originals for you. They always betray you when you need them most." Stefan looked at Elena who was crouching down near Bonnie. He wanted her to look him in the eyes, and understand his questions. "Damon?"

"Basement," Elena whispered back. She was worried too. Fear coursed through her body, but it wasn't fear for the intruders outside. No, she was scared for Damon. He should have been upstairs with them by now. "I'll check," she mouthed back to Stefan.

She waited to make sure the round of shooting arrows ceased, and took her chances, rushing to cover herself behind the arm chair. Bonnie shot her friend frantic looks, but Elena ignored her. She only concentrated on getting to Damon. That was all she cared about in the moment. If he was upstairs with them, then everything would be fine.

She ran to the basement doors, ready to head downstairs when Damon came running back up. It was obvious his shirt was torn to shreds in the front while dried blood caked his chest. She reached out to him desperately, clinging to him as she looked over his body for any more damage.

He held her body against the wall, pushing his body close to hers as a shield. They were both thankful that no intruders were at the front of the house or else they could get shot at, but since they were so far away from the arrows, they weren't so much concerned about the fire so much as each other.

"What happened?" Elena cried out. Her hands frantically touched his chest, not caring that she was smearing her hands with Damon's blood.

"Tyler has some claws, but don't worry. He's fine. Let's just say that he's sleeping it off right now." Damon smirked, looking down at Elena's face, seeing her fear turn into relief.

"Did he bite you? Are scratches the same at biting?"

"From what I can tell, I'm fine. The scratches healed and I feel nothing like I did from when he bit me before." Damon leaned his face down to hers, breathing her in to calm himself down.

"We can't right now, Damon," Elena whispered, wishing desperately that they did have the time to kiss and make everything better between them.

"Just one kiss," Damon murmured. He figured if he were to die that night, then he at least deserved one last kiss from Elena. But when he connected their mouths, it was Elena who pulled him deeper, it was she who shoved her hips against his, and it was she who wanted entrance to his mouth. But he didn't give in. She pouted when he pulled away; he did his best to ignore it. "What's going on? Why does my house smell like it's on fire?"

"Arrows," Elena informed him. "Arrows that they set on fire."

Damon let out a low grow.

"And Rebekah and Klaus took off. Rebekah out of fear, I'm guessing. And Klaus did it because…well he's Klaus. Leaving us high and dry is his specialty."

Damon nodded his head. "You stay here. I'll be right back."

"What?" Elena exclaimed. She grabbed onto his arm with more force than what she meant. He looked down at her hand before staring her right in the eye. "You're not leaving me here. If you go out there then expect me to follow."

Damon hissed before nodding his head with a pained expression. "Stay low, aim for the heart, and don't get hit with an arrow."

"Got it," Elena smiled proudly. Her lips curled, a determined look in her eye.

"In coming!" Jeremy yelled as the wolves came rushing towards the house, breaking all the other windows and doors in the back of the house.

Elena took in the scene before her and noticed that the vampires in the room seemed more afraid than the people. Alaric, Jeremy, and Matt were circling one of the wolves that had black fur, Caroline and Stefan were facing down a wolf that had a gray coat, while the last wolf that had brown fur stood before Bonnie, it's teeth barred.

Bonnie was chanting something, but she was too late and the wolf pounced. It knocked her down, pinning her to the ground, and its nose inches from her face. She was still in a trance, however, and a scream barely left her mouth as she continued chanting for her life.

Damon sped over to Bonnie, knocking the wolf off of her. Elena rushed to Bonnie's side, helped her up and noticed that Bonnie's eyes had rolled back and only the white parts were showing.

"Bonnie!" Elena yelled while shaking her friend. But it was no use, Bonnie continued chanting and so Elena sat her friend down, behind the couch, as a makeshift shield.

Elena took a look around; Alaric and Matt were smart enough to grab their weapons off of the dining room table, each holding a wolf grenade. Stefan and Caroline picked up their own weapons, using the shards of glass from the broken window, while Damon was doing a dance with the wolf in front of him. Neither one had made a move, but it was easy to tell that Damon was taunting the wolf.

Elena rushed to the fireplace, grabbed a poker stick for her and one for Damon. It wasn't silver, but the sticks would have to do for now. If anything, they could injure the wolves, and then get close enough to rip out their hearts.

"Damon, behind you," Elena yelled, tossing him the weapon which he caught effortlessly. However, as soon as Damon had a weapon, the wolf pounced. But the wolf wasn't aiming for Damon. The wolf jumped over Damon's crouched form and landed right in front of Elena.

Damon didn't have time to react because the vampires charged the house, separating everyone from their friends. One vampire went after Alaric, another after Stefan, and the last one went after Damon, catching onto his ripped shirt and throwing him across the room. But that didn't stop his fast reflexes because he whirled around with his vampire face on and rushed forward.

The vampire with blonde hair and blue eyes struck out his fist, aiming for Damon's chest, but Damon easily blocked it, snapping his leg out and kicking the creature in his stomach. Damon didn't let go of the vampire's arm, effectively snapping it with his elbow and then tossing the vampire through the air.

Before Damon finished off the vampire, he looked over his shoulder and saw Elena heave the wolf off of her. When the mutt pounced towards her, Elena grabbed it by its neck with both hands and with a grunt of distress, she pushed it away from her body. She quickly grabbed the fireplace stick and jammed it into the wolf's body. It howled with pain, but she kept stabbing it.

Elena knew that she had to rip out the heart, but she couldn't bring herself to do it in that moment. She had beat and stabbed the wolf, and now as the dog laid at her feet, blood splattered all over the place and covering bits of her body, the animal turned back into a human, curled up on the ground in the fetal position.

It was Caroline's scream that had Elena rushing to the vampire attacking her. Briefly, Elena saw Damon helping Alaric with another vampire, but she couldn't concentrate on him in that moment. Instead, she pushed herself in between Caroline who had glass lodged into her throat and a black haired vampire who had blood running down his chin.

He lunched at Elena, but she watched as his hand shot out to punch her in the stomach, so she leaned into his body, letting the inside of his forearm scathe her, and then held him in place. She used all her strength and forced her body weight into him, kicking her leg behind the vampire's leg, tripping him in the process.

He swiftly shot up from the ground, growling as he attacked her again. He kicked before Elena could block, and had his hand around her throat, slamming her to the ground. He was hunched over her, both hands on her shoulders as his extended fangs tried to sink their way into her neck. She had both hands on his chest, trying to heave him off, but it was getting hard for her.

Elena was breathing heavily, trying to remember what Alaric had taught her for self defense. He hadn't really taught her the basics of offense, but defense she was getting good at.

She used her arms and full body to launch him over her, sending him backwards while she arched her back off the ground and jumped up effortlessly. As she pushed herself off the ground, she grabbed onto a piece of wood that broke from the coffee table. Later, Elena would find out that the table was broken because the vampire flung Caroline down on top of it.

She positioned her stake, ready to use it as the vampire jumped up. He swung his arm in a quick motion, but Elena ducked, finding an opportunity to retaliate by jabbing him in the nose swiftly. She sent a kick to his chest, knocking him back two steps and into the wall, and then she plunged the makeshift stake into his heart. Watching his skin turn a gray color, she smiled triumphantly, noticing that there were now three dead vampire bodies in the boarding house along with three dead werewolves. Everyone was watching her as she wiped her hands on her legs, noticing that she still had wet blood on her from when she stabbed the werewolf.

"Everyone okay?" Alaric asked as he brushed himself off. He held out his hand to help pull Matt up.

"Jeremy," Elena said as she rushed over to him. His forehead was cut, his hand was bleeding, and he was holding his side. "Are you okay?" She fretted over him like a mother as he tried to swat her hands away, but in the end, she ended up winning and was able to look over his injuries.

"I'm okay Elena," Jeremy said softly as he looked at his sister. "You're the one with the blood splattered across your body. That was bad ass."

"You're fine," Elena said without a smile. Why did she ever bother worrying about her brother when he made some of the most inappropriate comments at the wrong times? She chuckled as she nudged him playfully. Oh yeah, she cared because she loved him. "You are fine, right?"

"Yes," Jeremy chuckled.

"What about everyone else?" Elena asked. She looked over Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie, Alaric, and Matt before settling her eyes on Damon. "Are you sure you're okay? Tyler didn't bite you?"

Damon crinkled his face mockingly as he poured himself a drink. "They were just scratches. I snapped his neck before he could get his puppy teeth into me."

"You what?" Caroline shrieked. "I have to go check on him."

"What if he's still in wolf form?" Alaric asked. He crossed his arms.

"Alec had witches helping him," Bonnie said. "I could sense them. They were probably hidden in the trees but when I tried to contact them, I couldn't reach them. I'm not that strong yet."

"He's probably changed by now." Stefan said. "I'll go with you, Caroline"

"What ever happened to Meredith Fell? Did the new doctor in town check out?" Damon asked as he strolled over to Alaric, pressing a drink into his best friend's hand.

Alaric was trying to cut back on drinking, but after fighting for his life he could really use some alcohol to calm his nerves. "I've been a little too busy driving to Duke, grading papers, and oh yeah, fighting for my life to get to know Meredith Fell."

"Wait, who are you talking about?" Elena asked.

"Ric's got a new lady interest that he had to check out. There's something off about her," Damon rolled his shoulders. "I need to change. Get the stench of mutt off of me."

Damon's blue eyes locked onto Elena's, moving upwards in a motion that let Elena know he wanted her to follow. He smiled at her before nodding to everyone else in departure. "I think we've all had enough fun this evening. You can all see yourselves out."

When Damon left the room, Bonnie sighed. "Does he always sound so dark and tense?"

Elena smiled, knowing Damon had multiple sides to him. "I'll be right back," Elena blushed as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "I uh…left something…somewhere," she mumbled. She was a horrible liar, but she couldn't just come out and say she left something in Damon's room. That made her sound like a slut, leaving something in Damon's room. All her friends knew what Damon did in his room, and she didn't want them to think lowly of her.

She rushed out of the room, blood floating up to her neck and covering her face. When she got to Damon's room, he was already shirtless and the water was running in the shower. Steam was coming out of the bathroom, fogging up his mirrors. He was throwing his torn shirt into the garbage in his bathroom when Elena entered his room.

"We have to talk," she said quietly. She knew, however, that Damon's ears could hear her words.

"I know," Damon agreed. "But can it wait? Just for a little bit?"

If Elena wasn't listening carefully then she would have missed the small desperation in Damon's voice. She could only imagine what was floating through his mind as they both reacted differently to Klaus's explanation.

She tried putting herself in Damon's situation. He had been in love with her for months, waiting until she finally made her decision between Stefan and him. She had told him that it would always be Stefan, trying to get it through his thick head that she would always be in love with his brother. But Elena was wrong. It wouldn't always be Stefan, and when she made the decision weeks ago that her and Damon deserved a chance, they were thrown this mating catastrophe.

Damon was worried that he was going to lose her.

She rushed forward, towards Damon and cupped his face. "Hey," she insisted, "Look at me, Damon, please?"

He lifted his head, meeting her gaze. "I don't exactly know how I feel about this whole mating thing, but I do know for certain that I'm not going to let it change my feelings for you…for us. From what Klaus said, the only reason why we're mates is because we had feelings for one another before we shared blood. That's a good thing, right?"

"I don't know if it's a good thing." Damon said honestly.

"I know you value things when everything's real, but I'm telling you that what I feel is real. And if that just means that our bond is only going to get stronger, then I'm okay with that." Elena grabbed his hand and placed it over her heart. "It's real, Damon. And it's because it's real that we're able to be together."

Standing in front of Damon, seeing his eyes searching her body and feeling his hands on her chest, made Elena more nervous than any time she could ever imagine.

"Please say something because I'm standing in front of you covered in blood, making ridiculous speeches, and I'm as red as a tomato I'm sure." Elena kept rambling.

"How about this?" Damon proposed softly. "I love you and you might not be ready to say it back to me, yet, but…come away with me this weekend. It'll be just the two of us. Let me show you something that you've never even dreamed of."

Elena bit her lip as she was finding it hard to concentrate fully on Damon's words. She couldn't think straight as she slowly nodded her head. "

"I don't know Damon. What about Jeremy? I can't just leave him."

"He's sixteen years old, Elena. He can take care of himself. Plus, Ric's going to be there." Damon inched closer to her, pulling her closer by her hips. He let his fingers soothe circles over her body, not caring that her dress was ruined with wet, warm blood.

"And I have a football game Friday night. I can't miss that since I'm the one choreographing the dance."

Damon's lips curled up in a victory smirk. He knew that he was winning Elena over to the idea. "That's understandable. We can leave right after the game; that is if you don't mind missing the after party I hear Rebekah is planning."

Elena smirked, giving into Damon's touch and pressing her body closer to his. She might want to take things a little slower with Damon, but they were already past that. He brought out the heat in Elena as she wrapped her hands around his neck, letting her fingers tug on his hair.

"I think I can skip it; under one condition." She smiled slyly as Damon narrowed his eyes. "I'll go with you if you come to the game."

Damon remembered the last time he went to the game and chuckled. "The last football game I went to you ended up slapping me."

"Only because you were being an ass," Elena shot back. She pulled his face close to hers. "What do you say? I am the cheer captain this week."

Damon rolled his eyes playfully before connecting his mouth with luscious lips. His tongue pried open her mouth and danced with her wet cavern. He could definitely get used to kissing Elena anytime he wanted.

"Rah rah, go team Timberwolves!" He cheered sarcastically, making Elena giggle at his words.

"I'll take that as a yes," Elena husked out before connecting their mouths again.


	12. Chapter 12

The blonde sat at the bar, swirling her drink around as she put her head in her hands. She waited patiently for the other blonde to get off of work, but patience wasn't her thing. Rebekah was used to getting everything she wanted right away.

"What's up with you?" Caroline asked, not really caring as she set her purse down on top of the bar. She nodded at Matt who walked over to them; away from actual paying customers. "Are you going to run off again? Leave us to fight by ourselves?"

Rebekah nearly growled as she drank away her thoughts. She had already spoken to Elena about fleeing and that was all Rebekah cared about. "I don't need to explain myself to you."

"What's up Caroline?" Matt asked as he swung his dish rag over his shoulder. He had a feeling she wasn't here to get a drink.

"It's Tyler. He's stuck in the cellar at the boarding house. Damon thinks it's still best to keep him locked up like some caged animal."

"Wasn't it Damon _and_ Stefan who suggested it," Rebekah pointed out. She might have been close to Stefan at one time in her life, but the moment she saw him at the boarding house again, she realized her feelings for him disappeared after ninety years of being held captive in a box. And although she hadn't personally met Damon, she knew he had a very bad side, but that was closely outweighed by his good side.

Caroline rolled her eyes and let out a huff. "Whatever. Anyways," she turned towards Matt who just raised his eye brows at the two blondes who obviously didn't get along. "I was thinking that it might be nice for Tyler to have some normalcy in his life, and maybe you might want to visit him so he's not alone?"

Matt chewed on his bottom lip. He had been in love with Caroline. Of course, it wasn't the same love he had for Elena because really, he didn't think someone could ever fully get over their first true love. However, he had been in love with Caroline and then his best friend was now dating her.

"I don't know Caroline," Matt said hesitantly. He looked over his shoulder and saw his boss coming. He pretended to be cleaning the counter as he talked to them.

"Please Matt?" Caroline practically begged. "He needs us; all of us. You out of anyone should understand what it feels like to be controlled by Alec. After all, he did use your body at homecoming."

Matt sighed. She was right and he couldn't stay mad at his best friend forever. If there was no Alec in the picture, then Matt would probably be angrier, but now, when everyone needed friends, he had to be there for Tyler.

"Fine," Matt sighed. "I can stop by after the game tomorrow night. I'll bring by the video footage and we can watch it together or something. Although I'm not too sure Damon or Stefan will like me just barging into their house and using their TV to babysit Tyler."

"It was Damon's idea to keep Tyler, and so he can deal with the consequences. He doesn't make all the rules around here," Caroline hissed.

"Actually," Rebekah said with a smile. "Elena said that Damon and she are skipping town after the game. He won't even be at the house for the weekend. The only problem you're going to run into Matt is Stefan. He's still on edge nowadays."

"Stefan is doing great!" Caroline declared as her alarm on her phone buzzed. She was going to be late for the founding fashion show if she didn't hurry over to the Lockwood's. "I have to go. Thanks Matt. I owe you a ton! This should really help him."

After Caroline dashed away, Rebekah looked at Matt who looked hurt and worn out. "When was the last time you had a night off? And I don't mean when you have no work but you still have football practice."

Matt sighed, scratching the back of his neck. Another brief pause before he finally spoke up, "I don't know. Too long to remember."

Rebekah smiled. She knew exactly what she had to do. "This Saturday, come with me to dinner. We can go anywhere that you'd like. It's on me."

Matt shook his head slowly. "I don't think that's such a great idea Rebekah."

"Okay," she wasn't dejected as she kept trying. "What about Friday? I know I'm supposed to be having a party after the game, but I can miss it. I meant what I said about Stefan. He may look okay, but knowing that Elena is going off with Damon this weekend might hurt him more than he lets on. You, as a human, shouldn't be alone with him and Tyler."

Matt wanted to say 'no' to Rebekah. He had his heart shattered and torn from his chest one too many times in the past year. He couldn't deal with another relationship that destroyed him. But Rebekah looked so eager and calm and collected. She seemed to know what she wanted and she could also protect him if something went wrong.

"Okay. We can hang after the game tomorrow night with Tyler." Matt added gently, "But it's not a date. I know we went to homecoming together, but tomorrow night is not a date. We're just two friends hanging out."

"Right," Rebekah said, a smile gracing her flawless face. "Friends. I can do that." She had never had a true friend in her life until Mystic Falls.

* * *

"Damon," Elena moaned as his lips set a trail of fire down her neck and into her collarbone. Her hands and legs had a mind of their own as she tugged on his hair, bringing him closer and her legs wrapped around his torso. She was sitting, but his hands still managed to run down her bare back and cup her ass.

"Mrs. Lockwood or Caroline are going to come looking for me if I'm any later," she moaned out, not sounding convincing at all as she was panting like a dog in heat.

His lips trailed up her neck and connected with her mouth once more. Their tongues battled for dominance, but in the end, it was Damon who ended up winning the tongue war, claiming her mouth with his own.

His hips wiggled against her hot core, resting against his crotch as his hands moved away from her delicious ass and to the front of her body. She was only in her bra and a black skirt that looked like it barely covered her ass if she bent over properly.

"I don't care. I'll get rid of them," he husked out as his warm fingers slowly started to slide her black straps off of her marked up shoulders.

Elena was getting ready for the fashion show, having promised Caroline two weeks previous that she would model an outfit. She would be modeling the new cheerleading uniform for the next year and walk down the makeshift catwalk. This was for a charity auction to raise money for the school.

"You can't leave another mark. Caroline is going to kill me," Elena groaned as his blunt teeth nipped her skin, leaving yet another hickey to claim his territory. When he pulled back, she smiled slyly, loving the fact that his lips were fully plump and his hair was scattered in all directions. She loved the fact that she could bring out the animal and man in him all at the same time.

"I can heal them," he husked out. His forehead leaned against hers as his fingers slid down her arms, leaving her straps hanging loosely on her small biceps. They tickled her stomach before settling on her hips and he managed to pull her closer. "If you want," he offered.

And oh boy, did Elena want. The craving for his blood every day was starting to get more intense. They had started following through with her plan, as Damon would give her some of his blood whenever he would see her during the day. It was as if the more blood of Damon's she had, the more she craved it.

At first, Elena felt disgusted and ashamed that she could want something so primal such as blood, but the more she drank the more powerful she felt. And the more powerful she felt, the more attraction she felt towards Damon. They were like two horny teenagers, dry humping until the friction became too much. One of them would explode soon.

"I haven't had any blood today," Elena murmured. She wanted his lips on hers again. She was done with talking as she pulled his head down to her mouth and claimed him. Kissing along his jaw, leaving wet open mouthed kisses behind, she nipped at his neck. She had drank from his wrist the majority of the time and only drinking form his neck once. She wanted to try again.

"Elena," Damon moaned as she used her tongue to probe the spot she wanted to bite. She was going to be the death of him as his hands gripped her tighter, moving up her taut body to touch her more.

It didn't take his vampire senses to understand just how wet she was for him. He could feel her perfectly soaked panties against his black jeans.

One of his hands cupped her breasts, trying to expand his hand to fit her whole chest, but it just wasn't possible. And the other hand went down to her sex and cupped it, taking satisfaction in the sounds he was producing from her.

Elena bit down…hard; trying hard not to scream from ecstasy. The feeling of Damon's hand on her sex was too much. Not once, yet, had Damon touched her there. And now that he has, she wanted more.

"Damon," she panted in his ear. "I want more," she breathed, demanded, and pleaded.

How was he supposed to refuse her?

Damon smirked, kissed the side of her face and let his fingers venture under her drenched panties. This time, Elena broke skin as he petted her. He felt the very life of him draining from his body as he played with her soft folds.

"Oh God," she moaned as she broke away from his neck. A trail of blood leaked down her chin and Damon hungrily licked it away, clearing away any evidence that she even drank his blood. "Please Damon," she begged as her hands clawed at his back, needing to be released.

He pulled her closer, lowering her back down onto the table's edge as her legs still stayed connected around his lean waist.

Damon felt like he was everywhere on her. His mouth moved across her torso, ripping her bra in the process and tossing it to the ground while his hands made quick work to remove her panties, letting them float to the ground at their feet. He groaned and felt his cock become even harder as he realized she was wearing a black thong.

"Are you a tease, Miss. Gilbert?" He rumbled against her stomach, kissing his way down to the hem of her skirt.

Elena was panting and gasping as his fingers didn't stop circling her bundle of nerves. She wanted Damon to enter her for the first time, she needed something to hold onto but there was nothing on the table, and she wanted to scream his name as she came hard and long around his talented fingers.

"Damon," she whimpered. He was being cruel and she knew he knew because of the smirk he sent her. He was resting his chin right above the hem of her skirt and Elena was surprised that he didn't just rip that off of her too. "Please."

"What do you want me to do Elena?" He asked innocently. He didn't want to torture her sexually yet. That would come with their relationship. But he did want to show her a good time. Drawing out her build up would cause for an even better orgasm and he wanted to show her just how much she could scream and cum for him.

"Do you want me to do this?" Damon asked as his long index finger gently prodded inside of her, moving slowly. This action caused Elena to buck her hips in response; closing her eyes in pure pleasure, however, it was short lived because Damon withdrew his finger. Elena was about to protest, but she opened her eyes and saw Damon licking his finger clean. "Delicious," he declared proudly.

"I think you're the tease," she rasped out.

"Elena!" Mrs. Lockwood knocked on the door. "Are you ready yet, sweetheart? Bonnie and you are going on in five minutes. The show's started."

Damon smirked as his head dipped between her legs, blowing hot breath onto her untouched clit. Elena almost came undone as she let out a strangled breath. Her legs started to close as she responded to Mrs. Lockwood, but Damon's hands were stronger and he pried them open.

"Yeah…uh…just give me a few…minutes," Elena called back just as Damon's tongue flicked up her folds, circling her clit.

Mrs. Lockwood paused for a second before answering Elena. "Okay. Just please hurry."

Elena was going to answer back, but Damon's mouth sucked on her clit, drawing her body closer to a release. "Damon," she hissed as she couldn't stay mad at him for long because his mouth was doing wonderful things to her sex and when his fingers entered her as his mouth sucked and licked up her juices, Elena came very close to climaxing.

He kissed down her thigh and then back up, pumping three fingers inside of her, curling them slightly as they entered her at a steady rhythm.

Damon's tongue flicked against her inner thigh and right when Elena let out a silent scream, biting her tongue to keep from screaming out his name, his teeth sank into her. She couldn't stay silent for long as she rode out her orgasm, letting out mewls and screams of pleasure. Damon was already intense, but when he drank from her, especially so close to her wet sex, that sent Elena over the edge and she was pretty sure she had never felt something so wonderful before.

This was his favorite spot to bite, and he wasn't going to hold back from Elena. They were meant to be together, and so Damon figured, she might as well know the real him if they were ever going to work out.

But at the same time, Damon had to wonder, if they were meant to be together, and if Klaus was right about them being mates, then didn't that mean that he and Elena lost all will power to choose for themselves. If they were to end up heavily relying on one another in the future, wouldn't that compromise their ability to choose their destiny themselves?

He took his fill of her, and pulled back, watching as the blood slowly stopped flowing. He divulged himself and licked his fingers clean as Elena's juices coated his hand. He had never tasted anything more delicious than Elena. Whether it was her juices, blood, or a mixture, she was divine.

"That was," Elena trailed off as she unwrapped her legs from around Damon. "I needed that," she admitted as she laid, spent on the table.

Damon chuckled as she crawled up her body, pressing a kiss to the side of her lips. "If I would have known that bringing you to orgasm made you less stressed than I would have done this a lot sooner."

She swatted him on the arm playfully. "You make me sound like some horny person."

"That's because you are," he teased before pecking her on the lips again. He kept doing little things like that because he could. He was hers and he wanted everyone to know it; even if it meant he looked like a pussy doing it.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked, swiping his hair off his forehead. It was no use, though, because it just fell back into place. "You have such a serious face."

"Nothing," Damon lied.

"Damon," Elena scolded. She sat up, and adjusted her bra straps. Damon was standing in between her legs as she looked at him. "I thought we didn't lie to one another."

Damon rolled his eyes before shrugging. He was definitely risking his man card by talking about his feelings. "It's just…if Klaus is right, then in the future, it sounds like we don't really have a choice to be together. We just will be."

"Is that a bad thing?" Elena asked. She cupped his face.

"What if you get sick of me, and then you want to leave but you can't because our blood is bonded? You won't get a choice to leave me without hurting yourself," Damon pointed out quietly.

"What makes you think I'll want to leave you? What if you want to leave me?" Elena asked.

Damon scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Have you met me? I couldn't leave you if I tried."

"And I don't plan on leaving you. So I think we'll be okay. I know that it sounds like we're losing our choices, and in ways we are, but I'm also choosing to be with you. I'm choosing to stay with you. And it's because we are together that the whole mating thing happened in the first place. If we weren't supposed to be together in the future, Damon, then we wouldn't be mates."

"It doesn't upset you?" He asked.

Elena scoffed now, trying her best to give him a smirk. "Not in the slightest."

"Elena Gilbert!" Caroline yelled, pounding on the door with her first. "I swear on my very, _very_ expensive shoes that my dad bought me that I will break this door down if you're not standing in front of me in one minute!"

Elena and Damon laughed quietly as she pushed him away from her. The brief loss of contact bothered her as she watched Damon out of the corner of her eyes. She was in nothing but her bra and skirt.

"Do you know where my outfit is? I'm supposed to be modeling the new cheer leading uniform for next season." Elena looked around and found the bag Caroline labeled for her. "Never mind," she looked at Damon fully now. "Are you going to fix your hair?"

Damon smirked. "Nah. I want everyone to know what we were just doing; especially if I have to watch you parade on stage wearing hardly anything."

Elena blushed as she got her clothes out and threw on the top that only covered her chest. She had cleavage showing and her naval and toned stomach were showing too. She grabbed her very short, red spandex and slid them up her legs; under her skirt.

Damon gave her a quizzical look as she shimmied her skirt down her long legs. His body was pinning her against the table once more and Elena gasped at the hot contact. He was still hard as steel.

"Please tell me there's something to go over your ass. If there isn't, then I can't promise to behave tonight," he warned darkly, close to her ear. His tongue flicked out and his breath caressed her ear; setting her body on fire again.

"Of course," Elena teased. Her hand deftly reached out and grabbed the red cheerleading skirt. "I'll show you," she insisted as she pushed him back a step so she could put the skirt on. It was a lot shorter than her skirt this year, and her skirt was already borderline short. But Caroline insisted that they order 'hot' uniforms for the next generation.

"See?" She asked, twirling around and her skirt flew in the air for a moment with her body movement. "Now I'm perfectly covered."

Damon growled as his eyes narrowed. He had a flashback to her birthday beach party and the swimsuit he wouldn't allow her to wear in front of anyone. This uniform was practically just like the swim suit.

"No," he demanded. "You can't be serious." She was just begging him to stop her, control her, make her change. Only he was allowed to see her like this now. "You make me crazy," Damon hissed as his hands reached out and cupped her lower back, bringing her hips forward in a jerking motion.

"Elena," Caroline called again before the doorknob was unlocked with a key and Caroline came storming in. She looked at Elena and Damon who didn't move his hands away from Elena's body. She crinkled her nose in disgust. "I did not ask you to volunteer so you could have sex with Damon in the dressing room. You're up." Before Caroline left the room she turned towards her friend. "By the way, you look so hot. All the boys won't take their eyes off of you. Which is so the point of cheerleading. I knew I picked a great uniform. And before you object Damon or corrupt Elena in any other way, you have to leave. Now!" She yelled.

Elena pecked Damon on the mouth, smiling innocently at him. "You have to listen to her. She might just be stressed out enough to stake you."

Damon shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I'm not afraid of Blondie." Damon pressed one more searing kiss to her bruised lips before smacking her lightly on her ass. He smirked at her playfully. "Oops."

Elena swatted at him with her arm, missing him completely. "Jerk," she called after him with a giggle.

* * *

"So a doctor during the day and a secret fashion lover at night?" Alaric asked casually, sitting down next to Meredith Fell. They had front row seats to the fashion show. The lights were dimming, but there were still a couple of minutes left to talk. Alaric figured this might be the perfect opportunity to fully introduce him.

Meredith smiled slightly, looking at Alaric with a teasing glint in her eyes. "This is an event sponsored by the founders…it was mandatory for us to come." She acted as if that was such a big secret, teasing Alaric some more as she lowered her voice. "Don't tell anyone, but I secretly think these events are pointless."

Alaric chuckled. "I couldn't agree more."

The lights shut off completely before the fake catwalk lit up and the show started. This event was to show off new uniforms for the next year. Families were supposed to donate so the kids wouldn't end up buying all the new equipment and uniforms for the next year. Damon slid quietly into the seat next to Alaric.

Damon looked at Meredith who was on Alaric's other side. "Any luck with the doc?" He whispered; taking out his flask of bourbon and taking a sip.

He offered it to Alaric who took it gratefully. "I'm working on it"

The music picked up and Caroline kept talking, describing the new uniforms and teams who would be receiving the funds they raised for the school.

"And up next is the new cheerleading uniform, modeled by Elena Gilbert, the current co-captain of the Timberwolves cheerleading team!" Caroline exclaimed and clapped loudly.

Elena entered through the left and took the stage. She smiled her bright smile as people clapped. She took two steps, moving her hips to show off the skirt and then she took a running start before flying through the air, twisting and spinning her body. She flipped once and then she gathered height and tucked herself into a ball, spinning herself forward twice in the air before sticking her landing, falling into a full splits at the end of the catwalk.

People screamed and cheered as Damon's mouth literally dropped open before he closed it right away. He might be mesmerized by her, but he didn't need Alaric seeing him drooling. He watched as Elena took in all the glory, sticking her pose for three more seconds before bouncing back up and curtsying gracefully.

Damon clapped as he sent her a wink. She was standing right before him and he couldn't be prouder of her. He didn't even know she could spread her legs like that and manipulate her body as he figured she learned it from all the cheerleading camps she went to as a kid.

He wolf whistled, as there was no denying the blush on her cheeks. Caroline started announcing the next set of kids walking out, and Elena turned from the crowd and retreated back to the built stage. Her hips swayed as she gave the audience something to remember.

"You're lucky she's grown up; or else you would have a hell of a time trying to tame her, Ric," Damon said before grabbing his drink and standing up. He had come for Elena, and now it was time to write a check, and then wait for her to change before taking her back to the boarding house.

"I'm out man," Damon whispered so Alaric could hear him. "And you might not be seeing Elena tonight. Just a heads up."

Alaric's face twisted with disgust as he thought about what he meant. "I hope you two know what you're doing. And just a warning, I'm not in support of her going away with you this whole weekend. It's her senior year. She should be looking at colleges and filling out college applications."

Damon smirked. "Maybe I'm showing her a college campus this weekend." They both knew that Damon was lying and so when Damon left, Alaric heard Meredith laughing to herself.

"Yes, Miss. Fell?" Alaric asked playfully. He narrowed his eyes on the beautiful woman besides him.

"He's a vampire and you just let him date Elena? Does she know yet?"

Alaric looked like a fly trap, letting his mouth hang open in surprise. "How do you know about Damon?"

"I'm a Fell. And just like all founding families, my family kept journals too. I own them all, so his secret is safe with me. But answer my question. Does Elena know?" Meredith looked Alaric right in the eye. She could tell that Alaric was uneasy around her and so she explained even more. "It's only the Fells that knew about Damon and Stefan turning back then. It's been kept hidden."

Alaric finally answered. "Yeah. She's caught up in all of this. It's complicated." Alaric didn't know whether or not to trust Meredith now. Of course, he would find a beautiful woman who seemed nice to talk too, but now that she knew about Damon, Alaric was wondering if she was one who he could actually trust. He knew that if Damon found out Meredith's secret, then he would kill her no matter what.

"I uh…have to get a drink." He left quickly; leaving Meredith behind with a confused look.

* * *

Elena was just grabbing her stuff, and leaving the dressing room as she was stopped by Stefan calling out to her. "Hey Elena," he said evenly. He had a small smile with his hands in his pockets.

Elena was surprised to see him at the fashion founding show, but she smiled nonetheless. She hadn't talked to Stefan one on one in a while, and now that she finally adjusted to him being back, she was ready to face him again.

"Hey Stefan. I didn't know you were here tonight. I didn't see you before the show started."

Stefan chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I didn't know I was coming until Caroline called me, practically yelling my ear off. She's…intense."

Elena laughed. "Yeah. She all but broke this door when I was running late." Elena noticed how awkward Stefan was being, and he wasn't making eye contact with her. "Is everything okay?" She put her hand on his arm and this action made Stefan look up.

"I was wondering if we could talk?"

Elena nodded slowly. "Yeah. Did you want to go back to the boarding house?"

"Is here okay?" Stefan indicated to the door. "I don't hear anyone in there."

"Okay. Yeah. Follow me," She led him into the room, not realizing Damon was watching the whole encounter.

Damon watched as Elena laid her perfect hand on Stefan's arm, and he could sense Stefan's slow heartbeat speed up in excitement. He had heard them talking and how his baby brother wanted to talk to Elena alone. And now Elena was just leading Stefan into an empty room.

"Okay," Elena said once Stefan closed the door behind him. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"You know I just want the best for you, right Elena?" Stefan cleared his throat, not wanting his emotions to get in the way of him. They were standing distance away from each other, the space almost too much for Stefan, but Elena seemed to be fine by it. And if his nose was correct, he could smell his brother all over Elena. No longer did she smell exactly the same as she did before he left with Klaus. Instead, her scent along with his brother's bourbon and leather smell filled her.

"I need you to know, that I never stopped loving you, Elena." He finally admitted.

"Stefan," she interrupted. "Please don't do this." She pleaded, knowing that this conversation was probably going to hurt him more than her.

"Before you make any more decisions, you have to know my feelings, Elena." He walked closer to her and took satisfaction in knowing that she didn't shy away from him. Stefan looked into her brown eyes, and tentatively took her delicate hands. "I did horrible things Elena while I was gone." Unshed tears gathered in Stefan's eyes as Elena swallowed her feelings.

"I turned off my humanity and I went on a ripping spree. One of my worst ones yet and I can't even apologize for my horrible, rancid actions." He gripped her hands tighter, and Elena hesitantly scooted closer.

"Stefan," she couldn't imagine what he was talking about because she had never seen it before, although she had read about his victims and one drunken night, Damon told her about Stefan and what he used to do to women. "Don't. You don't have to tell me this." She wanted to keep her image of Stefan perfect. She didn't want him to ruin any memories.

He ignored her and confessed his heart and thoughts. "I ripped apart…and bruised and chased and reveled in all the blood and pain and fear I caused…I knew it was wrong, but I didn't care. I didn't care about anything, except for…you." He admitted.

His hand left her right hand and gently brushed her hair behind her ear. She slightly turned away from him, not remembering his touch to be like this. Nothing felt comforting from him anymore.

"The only thing; the only thought that got me through the day was you. I saw your hair and your smile and your big brown eyes. You gave me the faith I needed to return. But I was too late, wasn't I?"

"Damon already captured your heart. And now that I've been honest with you; I've told you how I feel. I need you to be honest with me. No matter if it's going to hurt me or not, do you promise to answer me truthfully?"

Elena used her free hand to gently cup Stefan's face like an old time lover and used the pad of her thumb to swipe away his small tears. "Okay," Elena finally said. She had never lied to Stefan unlike him who always tried to protect her from the truth, but they owed it to each other to be honest with one another completely.

"When did you realize you had feelings for Damon? Was it before or after I left?" Stefan took his chances and let his fingers linger on her warm skin before pulling back. He dropped her hands as he stared into her deep, brown eyes.

Elena bit her lip, looking down and away from Stefan's green eyes. She had never admitted this to anyone; not even Damon. "Stefan," she murmured, a few tears running down her cheeks. "He's changed, Stefan. I see the good in him. And we started off as friends, but…" She trailed off.

"It was before the ritual, wasn't it?" Stefan asked solemnly.

"I didn't mean to fall for him, but Stefan, I can't imagine life without both of you and I know that sounds selfish, but I can't bare to lose anyone else. And Damon plays a huge role with those feelings."

"I understand," Stefan mumbled.

"I don't know the exact moment, but it was before he forced me his blood and I'm sorry Stefan," Elena rushed forward to comfort him, but Stefan held up a hand to stop her. He tucked his hands away in his pockets after he was sure Elena was going to keep the distance again.

"I think I got my answer. I'm going to go now." He walked towards the door, and as he opened it, he turned around to look at her one more time. "I never stopped believing in us, Elena. But…you look good. You're surer of yourself."

"I've grown, Stefan. I'm not the same innocent, naïve girl you fell in love with." She wiped her face, running her hand through her hair as more tears slid down her cheeks. She was honest with Stefan, and she might have lost him forever, but time would be the only healer between them. A lot had changed, the dynamics definitely transformed, and now Elena and Stefan were completely two different people who didn't know one another.

This was their goodbye and farewell. They would have to learn to adjust to friendship.

"I understand, Elena." Stefan shut the door after himself, leaving Elena behind. It was as if the door was a metaphor to their relationship. Stefan was closing it; leaving Elena behind and now it was his brother's turn to get the girl. Although Stefan may not agree with it, he understood that they were two different people now. No one saw them as a couple that they used to be.

* * *

Elena entered the boarding house that Thursday night. She had an overnight bag, just in case. She had stayed longer at the fashion show than she planned, but her talk with Stefan was worth it. It was a long time coming, but what puzzled her the most, was that Damon wasn't at the fashion show when she walked out of the dressing room and he wasn't in the parking lot. They hadn't agreed that he would wait for her, but she just assumed he would be hanging around for her; especially after the moment they shared before the show started. That was the first time Elena and Damon had ever been so intimate with one another and she wanted to be close with him afterwards.

"Damon?" She called out. She walked further into the boarding house and saw him pouring himself a drink in his glass tumbler. "Hey! I didn't see you after the show."

A smile crossed her face before a frown took over when he turned around, swaying slightly. He sent her a smirk and leaned in closer. "Too many teeny boppers around; giving me a headache with all their drama about who's outfit their wearing and how their makeup looks."

"You're drunk and upset," Elena stated. "That's never—"

"A good combination," Damon cut in. He took a gulp of his drink as Elena tried to think of reasons about why Damon would be upset. "You need," he pointed a drunken finger towards her, "to come up with better lines."

Elena crossed her arms, letting her bag slide off of her shoulders. They both heard it thud against the floor before Elena narrowed her eyes on Damon. "You can't do this, Damon. You can't just snarl and growl and then drink away your problems without talking to me."

"Why not, Elena?" Damon asked, letting the words slide smoothly off his tongue. "Because Saint Stefan always talked to you? Because you want our relationship to be just like your past?"

"No," she said right away. She had a feeling Damon saw her go into a room with Stefan. "I want you to talk to me because I care about you Damon. Something has upset you and I want to know what."

She walked forward and put her hand on Damon's arm. He shrugged her off and winced as he looked at her. "Don't do that. Don't just assume that you can walk in here and fix everything with your touches and that pleading eye thing that you do."

Elena snorted at the fact that Damon was telling her that she did an 'eye thing'. She covered her mouth and chuckled behind it. She couldn't believe that she snorted in front of Damon and now she was laughing at herself for making a fool of herself in front of him.

"And now you're laughing," he said in a monotone. "That's just the salt to the wound." He finished his drink and went to pour himself another drink.

"I'm sorry." Elena apologized as she stopped her laughing. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at this situation."

"Because that's better?" He asked skeptically. "Because I can't seem to be drunk enough to find the humor in this situation. Of course, I should have known you'd go back to Stefan. _It'll always be Stefan_."

Elena bit her lip for a second. She knew those words would come back and haunt her, but soon enough, Damon would have to believe her that she wanted him.

"I can put up with a lot, Damon. I can deal with your drinking habits. I can handle your moodiness and OCD tendencies. Hell," she cursed as she stormed forward and knocked the glass out of his hand. "I can even deal with the blood and the feeding you have to do. But I cannot deal with you comparing _our _relationship with my old relationship with Stefan."

Elena placed both hands on Damon's upper arms to keep him in place. However, if Damon really wanted to move then he could easily slip out of her reach.

"I refuse to let my feelings for you get compared to my past." She gripped him tighter as her body leaned into his. She felt her nerves start on fire from being this close to Damon and the tension escalated quickly.

"Do you want to know what I told Stefan?" Elena asked, but she didn't wait for Damon's response. "I told him that I started having feelings for you before the ritual; before you forced me your blood. We started out as friends and my feelings for you have grown and intensified. They're only going to get more intense and I can't wait because I'm falling for you. Stefan's back, but that doesn't change what we went through this past summer. That doesn't change my feelings and emotions I feel when you're around me.

Damon still didn't say anything, but that was okay with Elena. They seemed to always communicate better without words. His hands touched her body and pulled her closer.

"I'm running out of speeches here, Damon. I don't' know what else to do to convince you besides giving you my heart." Elena gripped his hand and pulled it to her heart, letting him feel her beating organ. "This is all yours…if you want it."

Damon smiled, a true smile, one that reached his light blue eyes. Elena looked up at him, and she thought she had never seen anything more beautiful than Damon's smile. It was a rare thing to see and she couldn't remember the last time his smile looked so pure and real. She couldn't help but smile back.

"So are you done throwing a hissy fit?" She asked.

Damon scoffed. "I wasn't throwing a hissy fit. I was drinking."

"And pouting. And thinking too much. And jumping to conclusions," Elena listed, a teasing tone to her voice. She held his hand to her heart still; not wanting to let go. "I can handle your thoughts Damon. I can handle your feelings, emotions, and doubts. I'm stronger than you think."

She dragged her hands away from Damon's and pulled his head closer to hers. She leaned up to kiss him, catching him in a searing, passionate kiss. His tongue flicked out and she allowed him to enter her mouth. The way his mouth moved against hers had her rolling her hips against him. Elena wasn't sure when they switched dominate roles, but he was slowly leading her down to the couch, hovering above her.

"I love you," Damon said sincerely. He knew she wasn't ready to say it back, but he was more than willing to wait. He didn't allow her to say anything back as his mouth landed on hers again.

* * *

**Review please and let me know how the conversation between Stefan and Elena went. I'm not too sure I wrote it well, but let me know! Thanks!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note-Thank you everyone for reviewing last time. It really reassured me about the Stefan and Elena theme. Now, this is one of two chapters of Damon and Elena being away for the weekend. I hope you guys like it...**

* * *

Damon filled his flask before running into Stefan. Damon hadn't seen Stefan since the fashion show. He knew his baby bro hadn't come home the previous night and he hadn't come home that morning. After his talk with Elena, Damon felt a pinch of guilt in his stomach, but he still smiled. He had put up with Elena and Stefan being together the past year, and especially after the talk Elena drilled into his head last night, Damon knew that their relationship was going to work. So now the small guilt he felt for Stefan was starting to take over.

"Hello brother," Damon said.

Stefan nodded. "What's up with you? I thought you were leaving for the weekend," Stefan pointed out.

"There's a football game tonight," Damon informed him. He had a crazy idea, and decided to ask before thinking it through. "Want to come with?"

Stefan's eye brows couldn't have risen higher on his face. "You're going to the game? Why?" He knew how that sounded, but it shocked Stefan that Damon was going. He knew that Damon was the one to teach him football in the first place, from what Stefan knew, however, ever since turning Damon did not keep up with it in the slightest.

Damon pursed his lips and walked past Stefan; bumping shoulders. "Fine. I'll see you Monday morning."

Stefan knew Damon was trying and so he took a deep breath. "I'll go," he said; stopping his brother in his tracks.

Damon turned to look at Stefan. "You'll go?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I like football and so I'll go."

"Okay," Damon said awkwardly.

"Okay," Stefan repeated, just as uncomfortable.

This was the first step for the brothers to reunite themselves.

* * *

They had been in the car for about an hour and a half so far and Elena was getting antsy. The game had ended; they had won by three points. Damon had shown up just like he promised and he had watched her and no one else. And now she was sitting in the front seat of his car, wearing his leather jacket because she was cold in her uniform, and they were heading north.

Bonnie and Rebekah had talked to Elena before and during the game about going away with Damon. They both wanted the dirty details when Elena didn't even know if they were going to sleep together. Of course, if they repeated anything from Thursday night then they would definitely come close to having sex. However, she and Damon still had the mating thing to talk about. They had talked a little bit about it on Thursday but Elena still didn't know exactly what Damon wanted now that they knew about mates.

"Are we almost there?" Elena asked, trying to stifle a yawn. She was unsuccessful though and Damon knew that she was tired.

He looked at her with a smirk. He was driving lazily, speeding down the empty highway with only one hand on the wheel.

"Sick of me already?" He asked teasingly. "And here I thought I was being all nice by taking you to relax for a weekend."

Elena smirked. As she looked at Damon driving, she noticed him glancing at her. She liked the picture of him driving so carefree, his sarcastic remarks, and his inky black hair blowing in the breeze due to his window being open. His black v-neck was tight on his arms and lean torso; letting Elena imagine his muscles underneath. His dark jeans fit snugly at his waist and she knew that Damon had the perfect 'V' shape muscle that lead to his groin area that can instantly turn to steel whenever they get too close.

Elena found that the more time they spent together the more intense they became.

She forgot her deep thinking about having sex with Damon and decided to just let the weekend run itself. She no longer wanted to plan every minute. It was time to just let go for five minutes and just enjoy her time with him.

"I don't think I could ever get sick of you," she flirted, leaning over in her seat to get a better look at him. "And you are being _very_ nice to me. You'll have to remind me to repay you later for your generosity."

Damon grinned cheekily. He glanced at Elena and his eyes misted over. His baby blues turned darker as he took in how her skirt rode up on her long legs and his jacket snuggled around her. She looked good in his clothes and he couldn't wait until the hotel and she wore even more of his clothes.

"We're almost there. Just another twenty minutes."

Elena was tapping her foot as the music played gently in the background. The bag that Damon packed her sat in his backseat and something was hanging up, with a plastic covering hiding away the item. She had a handful of dresses that had coverings in her closet at home and she had to wonder if Damon packed one of her dresses.

"What's in the back?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Tomorrow night I have some business to attend to, but afterwards, we will be dining out. And where we're going, jeans aren't exactly appropriate." Damon looked at her, raising one eye brow in amusement. "Is that okay, Miss. Gilbert? I know it's killing you letting me plan everything, but I promise I won't mess it up."

He was talking about planning this weekend, but he had a hidden meaning. He was also talking about their relationship. And if they were going to work, she would have to trust him completely and he would have to rein in control if things got too hard. He couldn't just kill people for fun just because he snapped and turned off his humanity for five minutes.

Elena reached over and laid her hand on top of his free hand. They locked eyes for a brief moment before Damon had to turn his attention back to the road. "I trust you. That's why I'm allowing you to take control of this weekend."

"Allowing?" Damon asked with a snort. "So now you have to _allow_ me to do things?" He was teasing again, and they both loved it.

"Yup," Elena popped the 'p', purposefully giving him a smirk and squeezing his hand. "And this weekend is all about you planning things and me just going with the flow."

They drove for another ten minutes before pulling into the parking lot that was filled with expensive looking cars, black and silver sleek cars that Elena had only seen in movies, and when she looked towards Damon who parked under the canopy so a worker could park his car, Elena saw limos parked off to the side.

She didn't move from her place as her mind didn't register their personal butler unloading their three bags and her dress bag, and she didn't realize Damon had opened her car door. She was mesmerized by the building in front of her.

Damon cleared his throat, his hand sticking out, and ready for Elena to take it. He had an amused smile as he watched Elena's face turn into awe. She let him guide her out of the car and he watched the worker park his car around the corner. Elena couldn't take her eyes off the outside of the hotel in front of her. It had huge pillars, white trees, and multiple balconies outlining the building. The color scheme outside the building was a soft pink and gray color with bricks being on the first floor and a different type of concrete that Elena didn't recognize for the other floors.

"This is beautiful," Elena whispered.

"Shall I show you two to your room, Mr. Salvatore?" A man in his late fifties asked kindly.

Elena watched as Damon smoothly reached into his back pocket, plucked out a fifty and shook hands with the elder in the black, crisp suite. He wore a long sleeve white dress shirt with a black button up vest that created a v-neck, a black bow tie to match, with shiny dress shoes.

"Thanks Alfred," Damon said. Elena looked down at their joined hands and smiled. Damon hadn't let go of her yet. "This here is Elena Gilbert. Elena, this is Alfred."

Alfred bowed and gave her a gentle smile. "It's a pleasure Miss. Gilbert. I am at your service for your stay here."

"There's no need to show us Alfred. It's late. You should take the rest of the night off," Damon said before starting to lead Elena into the hotel.

"You have your own personal butler here?" Elena whispered to Damon once she was sure they were out of hearing range.

Damon chuckled, untangling their hands and instead, putting his arm around Elena's shoulders; drawing her into his side. "We have Alfred for the weekend. Not just me."

Whatever Elena was about to say fell off her tongue as they entered the lobby that was created by walnut wood paneling, maroon and gold carpets, and a detailed ceiling that had intricate gold details and archways.

"Good evening Mr. Salvatore," a blonde behind the receptionist desk greeted with a smile. She was young, in her mid twenties and wearing a worker's uniform. She had a slight blush on her cheeks with ruby red lip stick glimmering in the bright lights that illuminated off of the walls from the fake candle stick chandeliers.

"Evening Charlotte. We're just checking into our room," Damon said, once again leading Elena over to another worker that he apparently knew.

Elena was confused and amazed all at once. How did all these workers know Damon and how was he able to just walk into this hotel; acting like he owned the place? And then her confusion mixed with her amazement and how elegant it looked. The place seemed as if it had an Italian-Renaissance theme.

"Of course," Charlotte said, with her bright smile. Elena didn't miss Charlotte's roaming eyes as the blonde looked Damon up and down and then her eyes turned to Elena. The brunette automatically felt self conscious as she remembered exactly what she was wearing. She was still wearing her cheerleading uniform that showed off her torso and Damon's leather jacket. Elena even realized she still had spirit paint on her cheeks. She pulled the jacket tighter around herself to hide her front. Only an inch of her skirt showed and she fidgeted.

"Did you want two rooms for you and your…sister, Mr. Salvatore?" Charlotte asked sweetly. Elena frowned at Charlotte's fake smile and innocent, but yet snide, tone. Elena used to be queen of that tone when she was in an awful mood.

"One room," Damon snapped, tossing his American Express card on the counter. Elena sensed his mood change and smirked in Charlotte's direction. The blonde noticed Damon's cold exterior too and frowned.

Elena couldn't help the possessiveness that overtook her as she let her arm go around Damon's lower back and her hand slip into his back pocket absentmindedly. She smiled sweetly at Charlotte, showing the blonde the same attitude she presented.

"Thanks Charlotte," Elena said with a sickly sweet smile. "If you could get us those room keys as fast as possible please, that would be great. We really, _really_ want to get to our room to start our night off right." Damon's hand that was wrapped around her was drawing circles on her lower back while her fingers in his back pocket pinched him slightly. If he was human, he would have jumped slightly in surprise.

Charlotte didn't miss the meaning behind Elena's words and nearly balked at her forwardness.

After she scanned his credit card, made him sign papers, and then handed over two room keys to one of the very top floors, Damon leaned forward with a devilish smirk on his face. Elena watched as his eyes narrowed instead of dilated. She was sure Damon was going to compel the woman.

"If you ever insinuate anything like that again, then I will fire you. If you treat Miss. Gilbert with anything but respect, I will fire you. If you so much as try to flirt with me _again_, I will fire you." Damon sent ice her way and Elena nearly shivered. This was almost worse than being compelled. "Am I crystal clear?"

Charlotte swallowed hard and took a slight step back, away from Damon. "Yes sir. I'm very sorry."

Damon smiled, taking their keys with him. He walked towards the elevator with Elena still tucked away in his side.

"You could have told me to change. I feel underdressed here," Elena hissed.

"Ah, ah, ah," Damon whispered, dangerously close to her ear as they waited for the elevator to be ready. "Remember who's in charge this weekend. And I think you look spectacular."

The elevator doors opened and a man in his early thirties walked out in a dark blue suit. He had a red haired woman on his right arm. "Salvatore!" The man greeted with a loud voice and chuckle. The brown haired man smiled at Elena, letting his eyes scan over her exposed body. "And who's this pretty little lady?"

Elena's face contorted into disgust, but she tried to keep a smile on her face. If this man was one of Damon's acquaintances then she would try to act pleasant instead of showing her displeasure.

"Wallace, this is Elena Gilbert. Elena, this is Mark Wallace," Damon bit out, his arm tightening around her. He really wasn't in the mood to run into Wallace. He wanted to get Elena up to their room, show her all the luxuries he was offering her this weekend; even though he wanted to give her the world.

Mark licked his lips, the woman at his side shifting uncomfortably in her spot. "Will you be joining us for drinks tomorrow night? Unfortunately, it'll be business talk and cigars, but work needs to get done."

Before Elena could answer, having no clue what was happening the next day, Damon cut in. "No. Elena won't be joining us tomorrow for drinks. She'll be busy doing her own thing. I wouldn't want to bore her with business."

Wallace frowned, shrugging off Damon's tone. "That's a shame. I'm sure it would be much more interesting if you were there." Wallace looked over Elena again and this time she shifted in Damon's arms. Her hands pulled her skirt down, covering more of her legs. "Anyway, we best be going. It was great seeing you so soon Salvatore. We must catch up tomorrow."

Damon narrowed his eyes, letting his icy tone take over. "Wallace. I wish I could say it is great to run into you so soon, but it's really not." Damon leaned down to Elena and whispered, "Let's go."

They left Mark and his date in the lobby with confused faces on. When the doors closed, Elena stood in front of Damon with narrowed eyes. "Are you going to explain to me why all these people know you? I didn't even know you had ever gone to Washington D.C."

Damon shrugged. "I thought it was pretty obvious once we checked in."

Elena crossed her arms. "Apparently not because I'm so confused. And who was that guy downstairs? He was creepy and seemed too arrogant."

Damon chuckled at Elena's description. "He was Mark Wallace. He owns five percent of this hotel. He's the second biggest owner."

Elena was great at math and so if Mark was the second biggest owner with only five percent, then the biggest owner must own a lot of the hotel. It was starting to make sense in Elena's mind, but she had to ask the question out loud. "And who's the main owner of this place?"

Damon smirked cockily. He pointed towards himself. "Me. I own ninety percent. There are two other men who also have a small part in this place. A man named David owns three percent while the last man, Steve, owns two percent."

The elevator stopped moving and that was when Elena realized they were on the twentieth floor. It wasn't the penthouse floor, but when the doors opened to reveal a classy looking hallway that matched the lobby she let out a gasp. How could Damon basically own all of this? She should have realized from the lobby and outside of the building that it was set to Damon's tastes and preferences. The Italian theme should have tipped her off.

There were only four doors in the hallway, Elena noted when they started walking again. Two on her right and then they passed one on her left. They ended in front of the second door on the left. She figured the room was going to be big if there were only four rooms in the hallway.

"Ready?" Damon asked with his hand on her lower back. He swiped their room key and ushered her in.

The first thing Elena noted was that their three bags were already unloaded and placed neatly near the side table that held a lamp and hotel information. However, when she looked up, the room was dimly lit with fake candlesticks attached to the walls on both sides of the balcony doors. The wooden floors were a soft brown while all the furniture matched the maple wood from the lobby.

They were in the main room, with their own fireplace against one side of the wall, a beige rug with gold intricate designs capturing Elena's attention. A plush loveseat was in front of the fireplace with matching chairs on both sides. Chandeliers hung low from the ceiling, the light bulbs looking like candles also. And on the opposite side of the room was a small dining room area with beautiful flowers on the table.

There was one door near the eating table, and Elena looked at it.

"Through there is a small kitchen area. Sometimes when I come I cook up here instead of going down to the bar and restaurant. And through there," Damon pointed towards the door near the fireplace. "Is the master bedroom with a full bathroom attached."

Elena was in awe as it hit her that Damon actually owned all of this. She wasn't one for material things, and so it never bothered her when going to The Grill for a date or just a plain movie. What Damon was showing her was something that she had never been treated to before. Most girls her age would be lucky if they were to ever stay at this hotel in their lifetime.

"Can we go and check it out?" Elena murmured.

"You go ahead. I'm going to grab our bags." Damon instructed, prodding Elena further. It was obvious that Stefan hadn't even used their fortune to treat Elena to things that she deserved. Damon took joy in knowing that he would get to experience everything with Elena. He would show her the world.

Elena entered the bedroom, seeing her dress hanging neatly in the closet with the bag over it still. She was tempted to take a peak to see what dress Damon picked out for her, but she didn't want to get caught snooping. This was his weekend to plan and he would reveal it to her when necessary. It was killing her though; giving him all the control for once.

The room matched the living and dining rooms. They had a giant fireplace with rich, beige carpet in front of it. The walls were a soft tan with gold carvings on the trim. The room was lit with actual candles on the two side tables, a desk with binders sat in the corner and Elena ran her hand over the oak desk. She imagined Damon sitting at the desk doing paper work, trying to remember the last time Damon actually left Mystic Falls for this place. However, he had only left to find Stefan. Damon never left Mystic Falls in Elena's mind.

She hadn't even had time to see the bathroom when Damon walked in. "Like the room?"

"Yes," Elena was like a giddy girl as she sat on the bed, testing it out and liking the soft sheets that were pure white. "This room is kind of like your room back in Mystic Falls. It's very simple and organized and this bed is so amazing."

"You think my bed is amazing at home too?" He asked, already opening his suitcase and taking out his clothes. He was OCD like that.

Elena blushed, thinking that his bed really was amazing at home. She stifled a yawn, however, and couldn't answer Damon. He smiled at her. Elena was kneeling on his bed, his jacket hanging off of her shoulders and he noticed her shiver.

"Why don't you get ready for bed while I start a fire and finish unpacking?" Damon handed Elena a small bag that was inside the suitcase that he packed for her. This held all of her necessities for bedtime. "There's something in the bathroom that I bought for you. You'll know what it is when you see it. Are you hungry at all? I can call room service."

Elena took the bag from Damon's hands, letting their fingers touch slightly, causing a shock of electricity to travel through both of them. Elena looked into his eyes and smiled slightly. She knew the look in Damon's eyes. His orbs were filled with passion and lust, and he was holding back on her.

"I'm not hungry, but thank you," Elena said. She made her way to the bathroom, looking around and noticing the shower was just like the one in Damon's bathroom at home. The glass was see through around the shower, the tub was huge so that way two people could fit and the room was so big that Elena thought it was the size of her bedroom at home. She looked around to see what Damon was talking about and spotted the red material right away.

She sighed, running her fingers over the red, silk robe. There were two white robes, courteous of the hotel, but this robe was a fire red with a deep yellow trim around the wrist and hem of the robe. She quickly brushed her teeth, washed her face, and put lotion on. She combed out her wavy hair, and decided to keep it down while she slept for the night. When she stripped off her cheerleading uniform she was left in her little black spandex that went under her skirt and a maroon sports bra. She had no tank top or her usual plaid pajama shorts with her, and Elena realized this was probably Damon's doing.

She smirked as she pulled her bra off and spandex, leaving her in a black lace thong. She grabbed the silk robe and wrapped it around herself, loving the feel of it against her skin. She would yell at Damon later for spending too much money on her. Elena finished up in the bathroom, leaving her brush and toothbrush out for the morning and packing her clothes up in her bag that Damon had brought with them.

She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at how pretty the robe was. It came down to mid thigh on her, not quite as long as she was used to for robes, and realized she was going to have to be careful because the robe was loose around her chest; giving Damon the perfect view of her bare body.

"I'm all done in…" Elena trailed off as she walked out and accidentally let her small bag slip from her hands. Damon had lit the fireplace, the glow being the only thing lighting up the room. He had unpacked everything, but the bag containing her dress was still in the closet, a mystery to Elena's eyes.

The candles were blown out on the side tables, the curtains to the balcony that Elena didn't even see before, were blowing slightly due to the window next to them being open a couple of inches. Damon smiled at her from the fireplace; he was leaning against the mantle, holding a drink in his hand.

"I see you found my gift," Damon stated with a dry mouth. He had seen Elena many ways. He had seen her happy with his brother, he had seen her angry due to himself hurting her, Elena sad and upset that her friends were hurt, a very determined Elena who liked to give up her life in order to save others, a carefree Elena in Georgia, and a broken Elena over the summer. But seeing Elena like this, wearing the clothes that he picked out, and spending the nights with him, had Damon's dead heart beating as fast as it would go. He didn't know how this night would end, but if he kept looking at her bare legs and revealing cleavage, then he was sure he wouldn't be able to hold back for long. "Drink?" He held up his glass of bourbon, knowing that Elena didn't favor his hard liquor.

Elena walked forward, a grin on her face. She surprised Damon by taking his glass and taking a huge gulp. He watched her swallow and could only imagine something else her throat could swallow. His jeans became tight on him.

"I thought you didn't like bourbon?"

"And I thought I told you yesterday night not to spend money on me," Elena said back, placing the glass on the mantle. "I'm done in the bathroom and I noticed you didn't pack me any pajamas."

She walked away from him, sending him a smirk over her shoulder as she jumped back onto the bed. She folded her bare legs beneath herself and leaned forward in a cat like position. Damon followed her every move and found that his body was drawn to hers. Wherever she went, he would surely follow.

He came to stand before her. "Pajamas are overrated and I never agreed to not buying you things. I'm never going to agree to it and I'm going to keep buying you things whether you like it or not." He sounded so sure of himself that Elena couldn't argue with him.

Elena yawned again, and Damon frowned. She looked exhausted and he sighed. He didn't want their first time to happen if she was half asleep when all he wanted was to ravish her. He wanted her fully awake, alert, and ready. He wanted to go round after round after round with her and then take her in the shower and tub as they drank their take and shared intimate moments with one another.

"You get into bed. I'll be right back. I have to grab a quick drink." He started to collect his bourbon glass to take back to the kitchen area, but Elena's voice called out to him.

He already had his bourbon. Elena knew that he needed blood. "Stay," she requested. Moving her hair to one side, she let her robe slip down her collarbone to reveal her neck. "You can drink from me, please?"

Damon didn't have to think about it. He used his vamp speed to shed his clothes, straight down to his black briefs, he swiftly got into bed, pulling back the covers right out from underneath Elena and folding them back. He smirked at her, being as close to her without actually touching Elena.

"You're beautiful, you know that, right?" He whispered huskily, gathering the beauty up in his arms and pulling her flush against him. Elena wrapped her legs around Damon's lean waist, squeezing her legs tight around him as she sat in his lap, face to face.

"Damon," Elena spoke softly. She let her fingers travel his face, lightly touching as his veins showed and red rims circled his eyes. Elena let her right hand travel back down, delicately touching his fangs. "You always take care of me. You've brought me here and I can't thank you enough. I think…" She trailed off.

Damon's heart ached as he held the woman he loves in his arms, ready to drink her blood, and he had a feeling he knew what she was going to say, but he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Elena you don't have to say anything," Damon hushed.

Elena leaned her forehead against Damon's. "I have to say this, or else I'm going to regret it and you deserve to know this." Elena's hands soothed over Damon's face, winding around his neck and clasping tight. "You took me to Georgia, although at first I was a little reluctant, and you showed me I could still have fun. You saved me time and time again when you didn't have to. You've put me back together time and time again and I don't think I've ever been happier."

Damon's face turned back to normal, his fangs disappearing. Hands reached out and cupped Elena's soft face, rubbing his thumbs over her high cheek bones. His hands moved to her hair, playing with the tips of her curls.

"I think…" She trailed off again, swallowing hard as she shut her eyes to take a steady breath. When Elena opened her eyes again she was staring right into Damon's blue eyes. His light blue eyes were a deep, dark blue, nearly dilated with no color at all.

"You don't have to do—" He was cut off.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."

The words were said. She couldn't take them back and she didn't want too.

"I've had feelings for a while now and I'm done pretending and holding them back. I don't want to shut things out anymore. I want to be consumed by you. I need the passion, the overwhelming feelings that make me want to be with you morning and night, and that little bit of danger that comes with a real, raw relationship. Because that's what we have. We have trust and everything between us is real. Nothing is a lie and that's something that I value the most in a relationship. There's no more holding back; no more hiding."

"I love you, Damon." Elena spoke with love and determination in her voice. There was no room for questioning her statement and so the only thing Damon could do was claim Elena's lips with his own.

* * *

**Let me know what you guys think please! Review...**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note-So I lied on accident. As I wrote this chapter I realized this would be the second chapter out of three chapters of Damon and Elena being away from Mystic Falls. Consider this part 2 and hopefully I'll have part 3 of Damon and Elena's vacation written soon. Please Review!**

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Elena had actually said the words to Damon. He didn't know how to respond to her mini speech and so he just kissed her with all the passion and feelings he had. Damon had been waiting for Elena to say it for a while now. He wasn't expecting her to just throw the words out, but at the same time he wasn't expecting her to say them to him that night.

He drew her in closer, feeling her robe dropping from her naked body, letting his erection strain against his briefs and press upwards into Elena's flat stomach. His lips trailed down her jaw and to her neck, licking and sucking her; showing just how possessive he was.

"I love you," he mumbled into her skin right before piercing her flesh. He needed her blood flowing through him. The need for Elena in every way possible was starting to take control of him. And as Elena held onto him with a vice like grip, pulling on his shoulders, urging him to take more, she was mewling and panting in his ear, turning him on even more. Drinking blood could be a sexual thing; it all depended on who the vampire was and who the victim was. Damon was very good at making Elena feel wonderful, and he hadn't exactly touched her yet either.

When he pulled back he licked his lips clean and closed off the wound with the flick of his tongue. His hands roamed all over her, stopping at the top of her lace panties. He growled in disapproval, a devilish grin transforming on his face.

"You have no use for these," Damon said, so close to her ear. His hot breath blew on Elena and she became even wetter.

With a flick of his fingers, he ripped Elena's panties off of her and flung them to the ground. Elena gasped at the action.

"Damon!" She hissed. "I liked those."

"I did too. I'll just buy you more."

Elena narrowed her eyes, but before she could chide him even more, he rubbed against her; causing friction to flow between them. Elena couldn't stop her hips from moving, trying to find the perfect release, but Damon wasn't giving in. He was doing everything so tantalizingly slow and it was driving Elena insane.

Elena's hands trailed down Damon's taut stomach, tracing his muscles before venturing lower and sliding his underwear down his narrow hips. He helped her a little by kneeling up and using his vamp speed to chuck his item of clothing across the room.

Elena just stared at him.

She wasn't looking at his face. Oh no, she was looking south.

He was big. Bigger than any other penis she had seen before and she had to wonder briefly just how he was going to fit inside of her. She wasn't a virgin and Matt and Stefan were both adequate, but Damon compared to her two previous lovers definitely was on a whole other planet when it came to sizes.

There was a trail of hair leading down to his penis, it sticking straight up in the air and ready to be used. A dot of precum shined in the light at the very tip of his cock while his two balls hung perfectly; making Elena lick her lips.

Before she even touched him, a smirk crossed her face. "You recover fast, right?" She asked.

"I can go all night long," he said cockily.

Damon had tasted her Thursday night at the fashion show and so now it was only fair that Elena taste him. "Good," she said approvingly. "That's very good to know."

She used her new strength and pushed Damon down on the bed. He had almost forgotten that she was getting stronger, but he still looked up at her with awe when she straddled him, smirking down at him. If she wanted to take control for a while, he would let her. There was nothing sexier to him than an Elena who took control in the bedroom.

She let her hands glide over his chest as her mouth kissed lower on his body. She let her mouth venture along the inside of his thighs before kissing back up and finally flicking her tongue over the very tip of his penis. He bucked his hips in anticipation, now wanting to move, but feeling like a teenage boy once more with Elena.

Her mouth slowly enclosed around him, her tongue swirling and flicking in delicious patterns that made Damon want to buck his hips, but he couldn't, because he didn't want to gag Elena. Her one hand moved up and down the few inches she couldn't take in her mouth while her other hand gathered her hair to keep it out of the way.

Damon was letting out curse words left and right as Elena's mouth sent a vibration through his cock. He had to hold onto something and so when he saw Elena was struggling to keep her hair out of her face, he dove his hand into her locks, holding her hair and guiding her head; although she didn't seem to need helped. It unnerved him a little that she seemed to know exactly what to do and what buttons to press. How many times had she done this act to another male? His jealous side started to take over before he repressed it, concentrating on nothing but Elena's lips around his dick.

When his eyes looked down, knowing he wasn't going to last much longer, he saw that Elena was looking up at him, her mouth moving up and down. She slowly released him and he nearly groaned at the lack of contact, but what she did next had Damon shocked beyond belief.

His innocent, fiery Elena relaxed her throat and took him all the way inside of her mouth. He filled her to the brim and she started deep throating him. His hips bucked and his cock twitched and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

Curses spilled from his lips, the feeling of Elena and her tight little body wrapped around him sent him over the edge, but it was when she did her tongue move over the tip of his head then he really came undone and spilled his seed into her mouth, watching as she took every last drop he had to offer.

He had been with girls who refused to give blow jobs, he had been with girls who literally sucked at giving blow jobs, and then he had been with woman who handed out blow jobs like they were pieces of gum. Never, had he been with someone he loves who could make him come undone like this.

"If orgasms like this with you will always be this good, then we're never leaving the bedroom," Damon said, catching his breath as Elena crawled up his body.

"I love you," she said, straddling him once more. She was leaning over, letting her breasts touch his chest and her mouth whisper against his. It felt good saying it, and so she would keep saying it. There was no denying her love for Damon anymore.

"Make love to me Damon," she requested.

Damon had heard girls say that before; whether they were in movies or plays or in his bed, and every time he had found that specific request cheesy and naïve sounding. He didn't make love. He fucked. He slept around. He had sex. But with Elena, the request sounded right. He wanted to show her love. He wanted to worship her body and make her scream late into the night. She no longer had to hold back like at the fashion show. She would come undone in his arms while he poured all of his love into her.

They would make love that night.

Damon's hands pulled Elena's head down to his and connected their lips in a searing kiss. It bruised her lips instantly as his tongue dove into her mouth. He flipped them over so that he was straddling her now. The bed sheet covering their lower halves, creating a cocoon to shield them from the roaring fire in the fireplace.

"You make me crazy," Damon spoke softly, and as their eyes stayed connected, Elena was sure he was talking to himself more than her. He was opening up a little, but she didn't expect much. Damon didn't share secrets or stories unless he meant to share them He didn't reveal something just for anyone. "I would do anything for you."

Their mouths found one another again, lower halves pressed into one another and Elena felt how hard he was once again. She wrapped her legs around him; pulling his length near her dripping core and feeling the tip rub against her clit.

Elena gasped in pleasure as she moved against him. Damon's hand snaked its way down her body, trailing down her stomach, her pelvic bone, and reaching her clit. He stroked it once, making Elena moan at the contact. Her hands were sliding up and down his back, touching anywhere they could reach.

"Don't stop Damon," Elena panted breathlessly. His finger left her clit and slid into her easily; finding that she was more than ready to take him.

He cherished her body with kisses, dragging his head down to her breasts. Before he could even flick his tongue across her hardened nipple, however, her cell phone started ringing. And it wasn't just someone calling her; of course it had to be her little brother's ringtone.

"Don't answer. Let voicemail pick up. That's why you have a voicemail," Damon groaned against her stomach, pressing his face into her skin and taking in her sweet smell.

Elena shut her eyes. Was Damon right? Should she just ignore Jeremy? But why would he be calling at two in the morning? It was probably important.

"I have to answer it." She rolled out from underneath Damon and grabbed her robe. Damon rolled his eyes, leaning back on the bed with his hands covering his eyes in disappointment. He had driven Elena out of the state and Jeremy was still cock blocking him. Damon swore Jeremy knew when things were getting hot and heavy between him and Elena. And apparently, much to Damon's disapproval, Elena had to cover herself when she talked to her brother on the phone. It wasn't like Jeremy could see anything anyways.

"Hey Jere. What's up?" Elena answered with a breathy voice. It was so obvious what she and Damon had just been doing.

"_You've been home tonight, right?" _Jeremy asked hesitantly.

Elena narrowed her eyes in worry. "Not since this morning. Why?"

"_I don't want to worry you, but I think someone's broken into the house."_

Elena sat up straighter now, panic settling into her body as she pictured Jeremy being by himself. He was only sixteen, barely seventeen, how was he supposed to handle this?

"What do you mean Jeremy?" Elena tried to keep her voice steady, shutting her eyes to gain more control of the situation. "Why do you think that? Where are you and Alaric?"

"_I'm outside the house. I was with some people at the after football game party. Ric sent me a text saying that he wouldn't be home. I know he went out with that doctor tonight. I bet they're together hooking up_."

"Eew," Elena said, wrinkling her nose at the thought of her guardian 'hooking' up with some person. Yes, she had run into him numerous times in her kitchen with Jenna, both nearly naked and it had been awkward each time.

"_And I think something's wrong due to our door hanging from its hinges and nearly torn off. There's scratch marks on the wood also_."

"Okay. Just get out of there Jeremy. Get in my car and drive," Elena instructed.

"_Where too? Bonnie's gone for the weekend and I'm pretty sure Matt and Caroline are still at the boarding house with Tyler. No one was at the party like usual."_

Elena turned to look at Damon who was already grabbing his cell phone to make an important phone call to his brother. Elena was thankful for Damon's vampire hearing and now he was going to take care of the problem once again.

"We're calling Stefan. Start driving to the boarding house. Don't stop for anything, okay?" Elena asked.

"_Yeah_," Jeremy sighed. He called his sister to inform her of the situation; not to be treated like a little kid. "_I know not to stop and talk to strangers, Elena. And if they offer me candy, I know to run away_."

Elena gave a dry laugh. "You have been hanging around Damon for too long. No more sarcastic remarks."

"_Gotcha_," Jeremy said, starting up Elena's car. "_I'll text you when I get to the boarding house. I love you sis_."

"I love you too, Jeremy," Elena said before clicking her phone off. She turned to see that Damon was saying something so low to Stefan that Elena's ear couldn't pick up his words.

Damon sensed Elena behind him and gave her a nod. "Here," he said into the phone. "Elena will talk to you."

Damon handed Elena the phone and got out of bed. "Where are you going?" Elena asked, already knowing deep down that the mood was ruined that night. They would do nothing but sleep now once things were taken care of.

"I'm grabbing a drink. Want anything?"

"No thanks," she said; having a feeling that Damon wasn't just getting a drink because he needed it. He was giving her space to talk to Stefan on the phone. He trusted her to talk to Stefan by herself; knowing nothing was going to happen.

"Hey Stefan," Elena said once Damon closed the door.

"_Damon filled me in that Jeremy is coming over. I'll get Rebekah and Caroline tomorrow and we'll check it out. I'll also call Alaric tonight and warn him not to go back to the house. He can either stay here or at his loft."_

Elena sighed with relief. "Thank you Stefan." Guilt settled in Elena as she realized that she didn't even think of Alaric going back to their house and what danger he could be in. "You don't have to do this. Damon and I can come home and deal with it. I'm not exactly your responsibility anymore."

"_Nonsense_," Stefan said a little lightly. "_You should know me well enough to know that I wouldn't turn my back on you. Jeremy needs help and he's hardly a nuisance…most of the time."_

Elena laughed and quickly that laugh turned into a small sob. She put her head in her hands as she let all the possibilities of Jeremy getting hurt because of her into her mind.

"What if he had been home when the house was broken into? It's Alec, it must me. Who else has wolves that can turn on a normal night?" Elena asked, tears falling down her cheeks at a slow pace. "I don't know what I would have done if something happened to Jeremy."

Stefan shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He hated when Elena cried but he could handle it. Being with Elena the past year had taught him just how to comfort her. He wished he could see her and be with her to wrap her in his arms. They might just be friends, but he would never stop comforting her as long as she needed him.

"_It's okay Elena. You can't think like that. You need to focus on the positives and that Jeremy and Alaric are both fine. They aren't hurt and I promise I will protect them this weekend_." Stefan smiled slightly as he heard Jeremy approaching the door. "_No one will touch Jeremy this weekend. I promise you_."

Elena stopped crying and wiped her eyes. "Okay. Thanks you. I know I'm being overdramatic with this, but please keep him safe."

"_Of course. He's here now, safe and sound_." There was a pause and Elena knew that it was time to hang up. "_Have a good weekend, Elena_." Stefan shut the phone off before Elena could say anything.

"Everything's going to be fine," Damon soothed as he walked back in, no drink in hand. "Now give me your cell phone."

Elena hesitantly gave it to him and watched in horror as he shut it off. "Damon!" She exclaimed, reaching out for him to give it back to her. "What if something happens?"

Damon slid into bed with Elena, not bothering putting clothes on to just sleep. "If anything happens then Stefan knows to call me. Trust me with this Elena. You deserve to rest this weekend. Stefan will help Ric and Jeremy and now I'm going to help you."

He petted the side of her face, running his fingers through her soft hair. He noticed the tear streaks on her unblemished face and pulled her close to him, tucking her head under his chin. He hated tears. Damon especially hated tears that came from Elena. However, this time he could handle the tears. He hadn't caused them and so he could consol her without feeling guilty.

"Please, just trust me. If anything happens, then I told Stefan to call me right away. We'll head home right away." He settled back against the luscious pillows and brought Elena down with him. His free hand tugged the blankets up and around their bodies.

Elena hugged him tighter, nuzzling her face against his bare chest. Damon took selfish pride in knowing that Elena was using him as a pillow and no one else. He would take her anyway at anytime during the day. And he vowed, in that moment as Elena looked back up at him through clouded eyes, that he was going to kill Alec for messing with their lives.

"Okay," she whispered as her eyes slowly started drooping shut and a yawn came from her mouth. "I trust you. I know you and Stefan won't let Jeremy get hurt."

"Plus," Damon wiggled his eye brows suggestively; causing a slight blush on Elena's face. "I don't think we have to worry about Ric. I have a feeling the doctor is taking _very_ good care of him. Maybe they're even playing doctor themselves." Damon laughed as Elena's face turned a bright red and disgust took over her face.

"Damon!" She shrieked again in embarrassment, revulsion, and pure terror of thinking of Alaric like that. "He's my guardian. That makes me want to puke thinking about that."

They settled comfortably down into bed, with Elena wrapped around Damon's body and her head tucked into his shoulder and neck. They couldn't tell where Damon's legs started and Elena's legs ended due to being tangled but they wouldn't have it any other way.

"I think someone's tired," Damon said softly as Elena yawned yet again.

She shook her head, denying him. "I don't want to sleep. I want to stay awake and be with you."

"When we do sleep together I usually prefer my girls awake and conscious; not asleep and unresponsive." Damon laid a kiss to her forehead, taking Elena by surprise. "I love you, Elena. Now get some rest, sweetheart."

If anyone had heard him call Elena 'sweetheart' then he would have denied it. Damon loved pet names, but he preferred them when he was mocking someone, not when he was in bed, loving the woman who captured his heart.

Elena nodded off, mumbling the four words that bonded them together. "I love you too."

* * *

When the sun was shining into her face and she reached over to shield her eyes and to pick up a pillow to put over her face, she found that she couldn't move her arms that easily. One reason being because she was lying on her side, her one arm tucked between her body and Damon's. and the second reason being he was staring right down at her, waiting for her to wake up.

She pushed her head into his chest some more and moaned at how early it is.

"It's seven in the morning. Time to get up sleepy head," he taunted. "The day is about to begin."

Elena peaked up at him, a frown on her face. "I hate that you're a morning person. Don' you have better things to be doing at seven in the morning?"

"Of course I do," Damon said cockily. He pushed her messy hair out of her eyes and smirked. "I could be taking a bath in the nice jet tub, or I could be reading the newspaper while drinking my morning blood, or I could be doing you, but I figured you should probably be awake for that."

"If we're getting up at seven in the morning then I'm going to need coffee." It was when Elena moved that she noticed Damon was no longer stark naked beneath her, but was dressed in a dark blue dress shirt. The shirt looked a little violet too in the light. He was wearing his black jeans with a belt and his black shoes. His dress shirt was rolled to below his elbows, showing off his firm body while the top two buttons were undone. His hair was messy, giving the look of sex and Elena knew that he was the only person in the world who could make that kind of hair style look hot.

"Why don't you go and get ready while I make you coffee. We can then go downstairs to get breakfast. I can give you a bigger tour of the hotel and show you some of the classes this hotel offers."

"Classes?" Elena asked.

Damon shrugged, his hands slowly lowering her robe that she slept in and gently caressing the exposed skin on her body. His head dipped down and pressed kisses to her heated flesh. His fingers flicked over her hardened nipples and Elena moaned into his touch.

"If you keep making noises like that then we're never leaving this room, and only one of us would starve," he teased; knowing he could last without food.

"Okay, okay," Elena caved. "But you still didn't answer my question." She stood up and stretched a little.

"When people are away and they leave their wives for business then our hotel likes to entertain the people. We offer a variety of workout classes, some yoga," he noticed Elena perked up at that and he smiled, knowing that was what she would probably want, "some tennis lessons and other things like spa treatments and massages."

"Just give me thirty minutes, and I'll be ready." She pecked him on the lips, her hands circling his neck. "Good morning, handsome."

"Morning," he grunted out before her tongue entered his mouth forcefully. Yeah, they definitely weren't getting up anytime soon.

* * *

"So any dirt on the doctor?" Damon asked Alaric over the phone. Although he was calm last night, he had tried to get a hold of his best friend plenty of times during the night through texting, calling and leaving messages.

Alaric let out a huff of air, which was never good. "_I've found out…some things_," he revealed quietly.

Damon squinted his eyes, noticing that the water had turned off in the hotel room, which meant Elena was just getting out of the shower; dripping wet with water and most likely naked. His member twitched and Damon had to force all of his attention on the phone call at hand.

"Why are you whispering?" Damon asked bluntly.

"_I um…uh…slept with her_," Alaric revealed.

"You invited her into your flat? Don't forget that we don't know what she is yet, and you just invite her into your safe home and sleep with her…although kudos on the sleeping with her. At least you got something out of it."

Alaric rubbed his hand down his face. "_I didn't plan on sleeping with her. I saw her at the bar last night, we were both pretty tipsy and things just happened. And for your information_," Alaric declared, "_I didn't have to invite her in. So at least we know she's not a vampire_. _I really think she's just a human that became stuck in all this Founding Families bull shit. She doesn't approve of the counsel at all._"

Damon shrugged his shoulders. "What aren't you telling me, Ric," Damon demanded. He faintly heard someone opening the door and then he heard Meredith's voice in the background.

"_I got to go Damon. I'll see you on Monday. We can talk then_. _Keep Elena safe and out of trouble,_" Alaric said in a rush before hanging up.

"Was that Stefan?" Elena asked as she stood in the bedroom doorway in nothing but a white, fluffy towel that hung very short on her. Her wet curls were running down her back and Damon shot his eye brows up at her. She was starting to get impeccable hearing.

"That was just Alaric. I was checking in with him; making sure the mysterious doctor didn't drain him dry or anything," Damon said smoothly.

"Coffee Miss Gilbert?" Alfred asked, coming out of the kitchen holding a filled coffee pot.

Elena's mouth opened in surprise and her whole body flushed as she stood in front of Alfred in nothing but a very short towel. She didn't know Alfred was there, but it made sense because he was their personal butler. Elena found that Damon wasn't kidding. Alfred was at their beck and call.

"Um…no thanks," she said, backing away slowly, but she didn't miss Damon's amusement as he sat in the loveseat in front of the fireplace, a newspaper next to him.

Alfred gave her a sympathetic smile, nodding quietly. "I'll pour you a cup and leave it in the microwave for you. It'll be nice and warm when you've finished getting ready, Miss Gilbert."

"Thank you," she said to his retreating back. She huffed once Alfred was out of hearing distance. She grabbed the closest thing to her and threw the pillow at Damon's laughing face. "You could have told me he was here. He probably thinks I'm some floozy or something."

"How was I supposed to know that you would come out in a towel that looks extraordinary on you, by the way." He smirked, taking a sip of his morning blood that was heated to perfection. "Do you need a hand in getting ready?"

Elena narrowed her eyes on Damon, shutting the bedroom door. They both knew that she couldn't stay mad at him. It wasn't that Elena planned on entering the living room area in just a towel either. But when she heard Damon talking on his cell phone, alarm filled her body. She had hoped that it wasn't Stefan calling with bad news.

Damon had unpacked everything for her, although she didn't need much to begin with. And so she grabbed her whit sundress hanging up neatly in the closet, along with the brown leather belt that would go around her waist. The dress didn't dip low on her. Instead, the top had a very straight cut across her chest, the straps being about two inches thick on her shoulders. The hem of the dress was outlined in white lace and went down to right above her knees.

At the bottom of the closet she noticed Damon had even packed her brown boots that she wore with this dress over the summer. She smiled as she slid into her clothes. The only thing left for her to do was straighten her hair, and that didn't take long. Light make up, her hair perfectly flowing down her back and framing her face, and her purse all packed with her wallet, room key, and lip gloss; she was ready to go.

"Now I'm ready for coffee," she announced with a smile, walking out of the bedroom.

"That was more than thirty minutes," Damon said as he glanced up from the newspaper. He put it down, focusing all of his attention on Elena. She looked stunning in the outfit that he picked out for her. He had only seen her wear this dress one other time over the summer and he wanted to see her in it more often. "And there's coffee downstairs with breakfast."

"But Alfred made the pot up here," Elena said, walking towards the kitchen. She found it unnecessary to waste the liquid if Alfred took his time and effort in making something for her. She wasn't used to having someone waiting on her hand and foot and so it made her slightly uncomfortable having Alfred following her around and carrying out tasks for her. She didn't want her appreciation to go unnoticed.

"We'll compromise then," Damon said as he showed up right behind her. He placed his hands on her hips, drawing her back flush against his body, letting her feel just how hard he was for her.

Elena smirked, her eyes shutting in pleasure as for a brief moment, she wanted Damon to hike up her dress, move her panties aside and enter her forcefully. "You're playing with fire, Damon. I thought the whole point of getting up at seven in the morning was to get breakfast."

Although they had stayed in bed an extra thirty minutes and she had taken longer getting ready than what she said, so now it was going on nine in the morning.

Damon spun her around so she was flat against him, his hands going to her waist and lifting her up off the ground and placing her on top of the table. She wrapped her legs around his abdominals and smiled.

"Now what do you plan on doing with me, Mr. Salvatore?" Elena asked coyly.

His hands traveled up her smooth legs, pushing her dress higher and higher, but he stopped suddenly. Damon wasted no time and straightened out her dress, and before Elena could question what he was doing, a knock sounded throughout the room.

"Come in Alfred," Damon said.

Alfred walked in, not being fazed by Elena sitting on the table with Damon in between her legs. "Your table is ready, sir."

Elena was blushing furiously as she jumped down from the table as gracefully as possible. She looked down at the ground, adjusting her dress.

"Thanks Alfred. We'll be coming down now," Damon said, slipping Alfred another tip for coming to their door and most likely also covering the morning.

Elena watched curiously as they interacted. She had seen many sides to Damon, but there was something different with how Damon treated Alfred. Of course Elena had seen Damon's nice and caring side, but this side to Damon was more than just being nice. In Elena's eyes, he almost seemed like a human. She didn't see a trace of sarcasm or arrogance when Damon mingled with the older man.

Damon and Elena linked hands, not even having to say or look at one another to do so. It was so natural now to just connect with Damon that it was starting to become a sixth sense to Elena. They followed Alfred to the elevator, him pressing the button and standing with his hands folded in front of him.

Damon was on his phone, texting at vampire speed and when Elena raised her eye brows at him, Damon put his phone away. "Sorry, there's just been uh…complications. It seems like there's more business to talk about than I thought and I'm needed after lunch."

The doors opened and all three people stepped out. There were more people in the lobby now; checking in and out. "Alfred, would you mind accompanying Elena for the afternoon?" Damon asked, although he didn't need to. He had paid Alfred to stay with Elena; to help her when she needed help.

"Of course sir. Would you like me to escort you two to the table also?"

"No need. Go take some time off before lunch, please." Damon shook hands with Alfred, and before Alfred left Elena and Damon alone, he bowed down slightly.

"You need to start explaining," Elena said as Damon led her to the brightly lit dining room. There were creamy yellows and beiges covering the walls and the tables were specifically placed around the room to give each party their own privacy.

"I will once we get food in you. I took blood from you last night and you need to eat," Damon muttered, running a hand through his hair, reaching for his phone that beeped again.

"Fine," Elena agreed, but quickly snatched his phone away. "But if I'm playing by your rules then you have to turn your phone off. It's only putting you in a bad mood."

Damon smirked. "That's okay with me. I'd rather enjoy breakfast with you than answer that thing."

They sat down in their own private corner. This was set up as a buffet style for brunch. This wasn't the usual hotel buffet either where there's usually a waffle maker with either sausage or bacon and badly cooked scrambled eggs. This buffet had everything Elena could possibly imagine and she felt her stomach rumble just thinking about food.

There was a waitress, however, who came to their table to ask for their drink orders.

"We'll have a coffee and a bloody mary," Damon said sweetly, willing the waitress to leave so he could have Elena all to himself.

"Hey!" She exclaimed. "You said we'd compromise on the coffee upstairs. I was going to bring some down in a thermos, but you distracted me. That's not fair."

"I can't help it if you fall for my charm," They were sitting in a corner booth and so Damon was able to easily slide his hand up her leg, "My good looks, and flirty blue eyes." His hand was high on her thigh, creating dampness in Elena's sex.

She had to move or else they would end up having sex on top of their table, and that wasn't exactly the spot she wanted their first time to be.

Elena was saved by her stomach making a rumbling sound and Damon laughed. "I'm trying to seduce you and you're thinking about food," he soothed, removing his hand from her leg so she could eat. He could smell her arousal. He had smelled it multiple times before, and so he couldn't ignore his favorite smell in the world, but his girl had to eat.

They gathered food on their plates. Damon went for the smoked ham, sausage, and bacon while Elena ventured over to the fruit and yogurt first, and then topping her plate off with a toasted bagel and a scoop of scrambled eggs that she covered in cheese.

"So," Elena said after a moment of silence. Damon wasn't getting out of this conversation. "I have questions and you promised me answers."

Damon ate his food, swallowing to speak. "I'll answer the best I can."

"How do you own this place? And is this the only place you own or do you own other things too?"

Damon smiled. These questions weren't that bad. "My family in 1864 was wealthy. Being the first born son had its perks. And since no one really knew that Stefan and I had died, I naturally inherited the money. I was very good with numbers, but originally never wanted to take over my father's logging company. But over the years, I've more than quadrupled Stefan's and my money. I own multiple hotels around America, going into this business back in the early nineties. I also own my set of bars around the country too."

"That's so…" Elena did the math in her head. Stefan hadn't really talked economics or money with her, and she had never asked before, but she had a feeling what that meant for the Salvatores. "That's so amazing. You must be really good with all this business stuff."

Damon shrugged his shoulders, trying to act modest, but that wasn't him. "Of course I am. When you're around as long as me, you tend to pick up on some things."

"Okay," Elena said, biting her lip as she tried thinking of her next questions. "What business do you have to attend to today? Why did it get moved up? I have a feeling it's not just hotel stuff or else you wouldn't have been all tense this morning."

"It's a little hotel business talk, but really it's vampire stuff," he murmured quietly so the tables behind them couldn't hear.

"Vampires?" Elena asked. That answered her question then about Alfred. Damon had been texting super fast in the elevator and he had mentioned the supernatural stuff when Alfred was in their room, and so Elena could only assume Alfred knew about vampires and Damon.

"The other three owners are all vampires. There are more reasons why we came here this weekend besides to take your mind off of Alec." Damon ran his hand through his hair. "Which is why I didn't tell you in the first place because you're supposed to not be thinking of these things."

"I'd rather know than be kept in the dark, Damon. You out of anyone understand that," Elena emphasized.

"Fine," Damon bit out, taking a bite of his food before continuing. "Stefan knows about why we came here and the vampires. It was actually his idea a couple of days ago. He knew we were going away and I couldn't think of a great place to take you, but he suggested taking a trip to Washington D.C and talking to the vampires. This morning I told Ric what we were doing also."

"Which is?" Elena asked.

"Mark, David, and Steve don't travel alone. They have partners and groups of vampires in specific locations around America; doing their work for them. We are going to ask them for their help with Alec."

"Groups of vampires that we don't know would be willing to help us?" Elena asked doubtfully. "And you're just going to ask them kindly to help?"

"I never said I would be kind," Damon retorted. "Plus they all owe me. I was the one who turned them at their requests." He didn't ask, he usually demanded. He didn't care if they helped or not at the moment. Stefan, however, did care. "Stefan is worried that we won't be able to stop Alec by January. And then he's not okay with everyone in Mystic Falls dying that night and then come May, he's even more worried because of this supposed veil that is supposed to drop all the way."

Elena let in a breath, and then sighed. "Are there other vampires here then? Working for you? Is Alfred one?"

"No, we only hire humans to work here. And Alfred is a long time friend who helped me out of a problem years ago."

"When you say years, you really mean decades, don't you?" Elena asked; knowing Alfred was at least sixty; maybe late fifties.

"Alfred is about fifty-nine years old, and about forty years ago, he helped me when I was about to be killed." Damon took a drink from his tumbler. "I've caused many enemies over the years, and in the early seventies one of my enemies caught up to me. I owed him and ever since then we've kept in touch over the years. I've made sure to keep a roof over his head, that he's always had enough money if he chose to start a family, and a steady job that pays well over minimum wage. He is basically the head guy here when I'm gone."

"That's very noble of you, Damon," Elena said softly, laying her hand on top of his. Damon wasn't used to people giving him praise, but when he looked at Elena, she truly meant what she said. He smiled slightly at her, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "You're so good to people but you don't want any credit. Why is that? Why do you only show me your good side?"

"Because when people see good in me then they expect good. And I don't want to live by anyone's expectations. I just want to be my own person."

"I don't think you give yourself enough credit," Elena murmured before going back to her breakfast. Talking about Damon's feelings was always a touchy subject. Their conversations usually consisted of them yelling at one another about how he should feel and then he admits his emotions and they hug it out. Something told Elena that their conversations wouldn't go like that anymore. They were past the hugging stage.

They ate in a comfortable silence, their hands staying glued together and once Elena was finished, Damon pulled out a pamphlet for her. "Here," he gave it to her, flipping open to a specific page. "This tells you all the things going on in the hotel today. It's going on ten o'clock now, so if we hurry, you can make it to the mid-morning sessions"

"You don't want to participate in…" Elena looked over the sessions and smirked, "in aerobic swim lessons?"

"I think I'll just sit back and enjoy watching you. And if you want to do that session, then I'll take personal enjoyment in watching you jump up and down in water wearing the bikini I packed for you."

"I'm not swimming," Elena stated before looking at the sessions she actually wouldn't mind. "There's yoga at ten-thirty. Would you like to try that with me?" She asked. It was for beginners, although Elena had found that she really enjoyed yoga back in ninth grade, and so she made sure she did it at least two times a week. "My mom was the one to get me started with that."

Damon smiled as Elena mentioned her mother. She talked about her parents rarely, but when she did, she always would get a special look in her eyes, and then it would disappear and she would act casual. She was a girl who lost her parents at a young age and she was still healing from it. She wouldn't break down and cry anymore, but that was because she wouldn't allow herself the time to do that.

"I don't hear you mention your mom that often," Damon soothed. "I find it special whenever you mention your parents."

"I talk about them sometimes, but…" she trailed off, diverting her eyes back to the pamphlet. "It's hard sometimes because Jeremy doesn't talk about them that much and I don't want to bring up bad memories for him. We didn't exactly get along that summer or half of the year last year. He kind of hated me, and so I keep my mouth shut."

"He didn't hate you. Jeremy is lucky to have you as a sister." Damon saw the uncertainness in Elena's eyes and so he changed the subject. "What about Pilates? You ever try that?"

"I think I'm going to do a cycling class," Elena said. "I've always wanted to do it since we took a lesson in gym class. I'm stronger now too, so I'll be able to keep up." She knew Damon was distracting her, and she pushed her family thoughts to the back of her mind like usual. "What will I have to do in order to get you to take a couple's tennis lesson?"

"A lot of things," Damon said. "I was thinking after lunch you could get a massage, be pampered, and pedicures and whatnot."

They finished up, Damon charging their breakfast to their room. Of course nothing was free in this hotel and so Damon told Elena to charge anything to their room. No one should give her trouble since she would be with Alfred that afternoon and she had their room key. It acted like a debit card and all she had to do was swipe it.

"Did you happen to pack my yoga clothes?" Elena asked as they started to head to their room. "Class is in twenty minutes."

"I had a feeling you would want to do this, so I came prepared."

When Elena changed into her yoga pants that fit her like a second skin, and a tight black tank top that had a built in bra, she noticed that Damon had sweat pants here. She smirked and grabbed them, coming out of the room holding them.

"Please take the class with me? We're supposed to be relaxing and yoga is very relaxing."

"I happen to find looking at you in yoga clothes relaxing," Damon said, pulling Elena towards him. She put her hands up to stop him, however, and threw his sweat pants at him.

"Please?" Elena asked.

Damon rolled his eyes, hating that he was caving in so easily.

"I'll be with you the whole step of the way if you can't keep up," Elena teased, batting her eye lashes and giving him a smile. Her hand started creeping up his shirt, her finger nails lightly scratching his tight stomach. "You'll be shirtless and I'll basically be wearing a second skin. We'll be the best couple down there."

Damon sighed and bit out his next words, grinding his teeth. "Fine, I'll participate."

Elena smiled and pecked him on the lips. "Good. Now go get ready before we're late."

* * *

The day was going by great so far for Elena. She was having an exceptional time with Damon, but now he was off doing his business deal while she was being escorted by Alfred down to the spa that was located deep within the hotel.

"So," Elena said; trying to make conversation. There was a friendly feeling that Alfred gave off about him that made Elena want to open up to talk. "You seem to really enjoy your job. I can't imagine it being easy working for Damon sometimes." Elena pictured Damon when he first came to Mystic Falls. She was pretty sure he didn't have his humanity fully switched on, and so he must have been even more difficult before coming home.

Alfred chuckled, his wrinkles on his face showing, but Elena found the wrinkles enduring and fitting for Alfred's kind face. He reminded her slightly of her grandfather she knew as a child.

"Damon is a unique person," Alfred smiled a sly smile. Elena knew that he was hinting at Damon being a vampire. "But he's different around you. You make him smile and enjoy life. I think he's actually living and not just ignoring life anymore."

Elena smiled, liking the idea that she was helping Damon change for the better. "I never thought I would say this, but I can't imagine life without him right now. He's changed me too."

They reached the spa and Alfred left Elena for the next hour and a half. After her treatment they went back to the room and Elena let them both in. "Do you enjoy your job, Mr…" She trailed off, not knowing Alfred's last name.

"It's Alfred White, Miss Gilbert. But you can call me Alfred."

"I'll call you Alfred if you call me Elena. It's only fair," Elena said with a smile, sitting down in one of the many chairs. She shivered slightly and tucked her legs underneath her.

"I'll start a fire Miss Elena," Alfred offered, already starting the fire without Elena objecting. She was glad for the warmth, however, and took pleasure in Alfred making one for her.

"And to answer your question; yes, I love my job very much. Staying at this hotel is just like home. It keeps me busy and the workers here are like family."

"What about your actual family?" Elena asked quietly. "Surely you have family close by or people that you visit?"

"I had a wife, but I lost her to cancer early on. We have one son, but he's moved away and doesn't like to visit much. I think this town gives him bad memories," Alfred explained, a glossy look crossing his eyes. Elena bit her lip, understanding Alfred in more ways than one.

"I only have a brother," she explained. "I lost my parents about a year and a half ago in a car accident. And then my only aunt came to take care of us, but we lost her last May. Jeremy and I have no family left besides each other."

Silence overcame them and they both occupied themselves for the last few hours before Elena had to go downstairs to meet Damon for dinner. She decided to work on her English and Math homework while Alfred read his book, much to Elena's persuasion. He had stood in the room for minutes before she managed to convince him to sit with her in another chair. And then it took even more convincing to get him to do something he liked doing; which was read an old book.

When the clock struck six, Elena got up and decided to finish getting ready. She was supposed to meet Damon downstairs at the restaurant's bar at six-thirty. When she finally revealed the dress that Damon had picked out for her, she noticed it was a dress that she didn't own. He had bought it for her, in her size that fit her perfectly.

She put it on, noticing the purple brought out her skin tone while the front of the dress dipped dangerously low on her. She didn't need to wear a bra, and she couldn't if she wanted too since it would be showing in the front and the back. The back of the dress only made it to the middle of her back while the bottom of the dress went just above her knees.

She curled her hair, and applied light makeup, outlining her eyes to enhance her long eye lashes. When she was done getting ready it was time to go downstairs.

"You look stunning," Alfred said kindheartedly.

"Thank you," Elena said, blushing slightly. She grabbed her clutch and when she started leaving, she noticed Alfred was going to follow her. "Alfred, go get dinner. You've been with me basically all day. I'm sure you're starving and I can make it to the elevator safely."

Alfred seemed to be debating this, and Elena could tell.

"You have to listen to me, right?" Elena asked.

Alfred narrowed his eyes, knowing what Elena was going to do. "Yes," he said hesitantly.

"Then go eat. I am telling you to take the night off and the morning too." Elena smiled. "Please. Go enjoy yourself."

"Okay Miss Elena. If you wish." Alfred patted her on the shoulder before leaving. "Please be careful. Maggie says Mystic Falls is a dangerous town to be in at this time."

"Maggie?" Elena asked before her eyes went wide. "You know Maggie? The witch who's helping Bonnie?"

Alfred smiled secretly. It was as if he had his own private joke. "Mags is my best friend. I've known her since I was a child. Please take care of yourself and Damon."

"I will. I promise," Elena said before leaving Alfred for the night. Elena made it down to Damon within five minutes, and found him in the hotel's restaurant, at one of the many booths. It was dark and dreary in the hotel, the lights being dimmed for a more private, romantic setting.

He was sitting next to a man who she didn't recognize, and the second unknown man was across from the first man she didn't know, and then Mark Wallace was across from Damon, nursing his drink in his hands.

She didn't see any daylight rings on any of the three vampires, and so she wondered if they even left the hotel. It was hard for her to think of vampires not being able to survive without rings. Almost all the vampires she knew didn't need rings or had them.

It was as if Damon sensed her and turned his head to look at her. He had a grin split across his face as he stood up and ushered her to him. She wasn't fazed by the three other vampires looking at her, only getting an eerie feeling from Mark.

"You look beautiful," Damon murmured into her ear, causing a heated blush to spread over her cheeks and face. "Elena, this is Steve," Damon pointed to the man who was sitting by him and then he motioned to the other man across from him, "And this is David. They both have agreed to help with Alec. They will be in Mystic Falls by early January."

Elena did the math in her head. "That's about ten weeks away. And two weeks before the ritual." And then it hit her. She narrowed her eyes on Mark. "And _you're_ not helping?"

Mark narrowed his eyes back, a small growl coming from his throat. "I have a hundred years on you, Elena. Don't undermined me and think you can judge me with your eyes."

"And don't overstep your boundaries. Because we both know I have years on you and I'm just naturally stronger. Don't tempt me even more into ending your pathetic life," Damon spat at Mark; making it known that no one would talk down to Elena.

Mark cruelly smiled. "You three are all stupid if you think you can stop Alec. He's not just a vampire. He's worse than that." Mark rose and grabbed his cold drink. "You all will die because of this one girl." His eyes ran over Elena's body, sticking his nose in the air in disapproval. "I'm not about to go on a suicide mission."

He walked off and Elena sighed and felt the guilt of the situation. How could she ask these two vampires to sacrifice their lives to try to save her and her family and friends? She didn't even know them and she was starting to think Mark was right. They all would die on a suicide mission.

"Don't mind him," Steve said with a smile. He finished his drink. "He's just cranky that his play toy left him."

"But he's right," Elena said. "Alec isn't just some vampire. He's different. I've been thinking this for a while now. I just don't know what exactly he is."

David looked at Damon, before looking back at Elena. "That's because he's a vampire, but he is also something else. He's _the_ vampire; the very first human that turned into a vampire."

"He's the creator of all vampires; the first generation. He's the Vampire God," Mark revealed.

"An actual god?" Elena asked as she turned to Damon.

Damon nodded his head. "David's also a professor, and he teaches this stuff. He's dedicated his seventy years as a vampire to research pertaining to vampires. He knows his stuff when it comes to Alec."

"So we're facing an actual god?" Elena asked quietly.

"Yes," Damon confirmed. "We're not just dealing with a vampire or an _original_. We are dealing with the vampire who created Klaus and Rebekah."

"Alec is a god," Elena murmured, an overwhelming feeling taking over her body. She didn't know if it was Damon's feelings she was experiencing, her own feelings that were creating the tension, or a little of both. However, seeing Damon at unease made her heart beat quicker. "So how do we go about killing a Vampire God?"

* * *

**So Jeremy cock blocked Damon...once again. I couldn't resist because he seems like he's always doing that on the show. There are other vampires who want to help the Mystic Falls Gang. And Alec is an actual god? What do you guys think?**


End file.
